Caught your glimpse such that, it made me lose my sense (Dikhai Diye Yoon Ke Bekhud Kiya)

– This is one of my favorite Ghazals and due to number of factors. Foremost it’s a writing of one of the 18th century Urdu poet, for whom it’s known, he shaped the language itself: Mir Taqi Mir. It’s performed on-screen by extremely graceful: Supriya Pathak, for film Bazaar (1982). Music is composed by extremely gentle Khayyam saheb, and undoubtedly the simplicity of this song earns times a range, with voice of a singing legend herself – the goddess of Hindi Songs: Madam Lata Mangeshkar.

Translation:

Caught your glimpse such that,
it made me lose my sense.
And like that wasn’t enough,
you distanced me from myself.

For such an extent,
the forehead kept kissing the floor.
All dues in exhibits of utter devotion
looks like paid.

Worshiped you, oh my idol,
with such an unending zeal.
In eyes of almost everyone
it seemed, to God I prayed.

Had wished a plenty, to step in
your home or least your street…
Hence, soaked in the blood now,
I walk, from your doorstep.

– Dedicated to that time and era of simplicity and grace.

Dikhayi diye yun ke bekhud kiya
Hamein aap se bhi juda kar chale

Jabheen sajda karte hi karte gayi
Haq-e-bandagi ham adaa kar chale

Parastish ki ya tak ke aye butt tujhe
Nazar mein sabhon ki khuda kar chale

Bahut aarzoo thi gali ki teri
So yaas-e-lahoo mein naha kar chale

– Original poem by Mir Taqi Mir.

Urdu version:

دکھائی دیے یوں کہ بے خود کیا
ہمیں آپ سے بھی جدا کر چلے

جبیں سجدہ کرتے ہی کرتے گئی
حقِ بندگی ہم ادا کر چلے

پرستش کی عادت کہ اے بُت تجھے
نظر میں سبھوں کی خدا کر چلے

بہت آرزو تھی گلی کی تری
سو یاں سے لہو میں نہا کر چلے

– میر تقی میر –

—

Dear All,

This blog has completed its second year. For this year’s run, there are countless readers I should be thanking to. Their proximity always breathed in me a new courage, and pulled me to write more, even though I had many gaps this year, some due to business, and few due to my procrastination.

I thank all of those who read and established all sorts of interaction. My special thanks is of course for following angels, for their regular support and feedback, for their original, more poignant beautiful and resonant writings of which my return with a response naturally became intuitive and fluent.

Maria Imran, Shereen Aljarrah, Sidra Kamal,
Aminah Tasleem, Tayyeba Irum,
Sonya Kassam, Miss Maqsood,
Hira Jamil, Aima Yusaf Jamal, Myriam Olivares