Saturday 23 November 2013

Jaun Elia / John Elia

JOHN ELIA

09NOV
Jaun Elia (Urdu: جون ایلیا‎, December 14, 1931 – November 8, 2002)
YESTERDAY WAS HIS DEATH ANNIVERSARY. IT IS FITTING THAT WE COMMEMORATE THIS DATE BY REMEMBERING HIS POETRY. I BEGIN BY THE FOLLOWING WONDERFUL GHAZAL.
For a great write up on John Elia, please go to bbc Urdu:

Umar Guzre gi Imtehan mein kya…

Roman Urdu and translation are given after Urdu ghazal.
خاموشی که رہی ہے کان میں کیا
آ رہا ہے مرے گمان میں کیا
عمر  گزرے گی امتحان میں کیا
داغ ہی دینگے مجھکو دان میں کیا
میری ہر بات بے اثر ہی رہی
نقص ہے کچھ میرے بیان میں کیا
ہم کو تو کوئی ٹوکتا بھی نہیں
یہی ہوتا ہے خاندان میں کیا
اپنی محرومیاں چھپاتے ہیں
ہم غریبوں کی آن بان میں ک
خود کو جانا جدا زمانے سے
آ گیا تھا میرے گمان میں کیا
بولتے کیوں نہیں میرے حق میں
آبلے پڑ گئے زبان میں کیا
ہے نسیم _ بہار گرد آلود
خاک اڑتی ہے اس مکان میں کیا
وہ ملے تو یہ پوچھنا ہے مجھے
اب بھی  ہوں میں تیری امان میں کیا
یوں جو تکتا  ہے آسمان کو تو
کوئی رہتا ہے آسمان میں کیا

یہ مجھے چین کیوں نہیں پڑتا
ایک ہی شخص تھا جہان میں کیا
جوں ایلیا
khamoshi kah rahi hai kaan mein kya
aa raha hai mere gumaan mein kya
[The silence is whispering in my ears something, I am hearing in my ears something (else)]
umar guzregi imtehaan mein kya
daagh hi denge mujh ko daan mein kya
[Am I here to spend entire life facing hurdles?, Are you to give me only the pain?]
meri har baat be asar hi rahi
naqs hai kuch mere bayaan mein kya
[whatever I said wend unheeded, Is there a fault in my speech?]
hum ko to koi tokta bhi nahin
yahi hota hai khandaan mein kya
[No one even corrects me these days, Is that how a family behaves?]
apni mehroomiyan chhupate hain
hum ghareebon ki aan baan mein kya
[We only try to cover up our failings, What is there that we the poor have to show off]
 khud ko jaana juda zammane se
aa gaya tha mere gumaan mein kya
[Thought we were different, what presumptuous was the thought] bolte kyun nahin mere haq meinaable paR gaye zubaan mein kya[Why no one speaks in my favour, Is the tongue full of blisters?] 
hai naseem e bahaar gard aalood
khaak uRti hai us makaan mein kya.
[The spring breeze caries an amount of dust, has this world gone to dust?] 

woh mile to yeh poochhna hai mujhe
ab bhi hun main teri amaan mein kya
[I have a question if ever we should meet, Am I still in your protection?]  
yun jo takta hai aasmaan ko tu
koi rehta hai aasmaan mein kya
[I see you staring at the sky always, Is there some one living up there?
yeh mujhe chain kyun nahin parta
aik hi shakhs tha jahan mein kya
[why do I find it hard to have peace of mind, was there only one person in this world?]
JOHN ELIA
{The last sher, yeh mujhe chain kyun nahi paRta…… has the quality found in many ahsaar of Ghalib: That it says a lot more than the words actually used could carry. In my opinion it says that I was in love with some one who have now gone (passed away or taken away by some rival ..) I cannot find peace now. Then he wonderswhy, there must be some one else who could provide solace to me, was there only that one person in the entire world?} 
[Acknowledgement: Copied from:
I have added two ashaar from Joh Elia's Doha (1995) Mushayra which were missing here. I have also deleted one sher the meaning of which defied me. "
"dil kay aate hain jis ko dhyaan bohot
khud bhi aata hai apne dhyaan mein kya" ???????
I have also converted the ghazal to Urdu rasmul khat and have attempted to provide translations in English for readers who may find it hard to follow in Urdu. But of course, there are a lot more meaning than the literal translation could offer. One has to ponder and think the meanings that the shayer has intended.]

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