The Hidden Garden Gopi Narang (year 7 reading list TXT) 📖

dhuuni lagaaye jogiyon ki si rahuun

baithe baithe dar p tere to mera aasan jala

How long should I sit like a yogi

in front of your house

burning a smoky fire,

and body smeared with ash?

Sitting in this posture for days

has set my mat up in flames.

suukhte hi aansuon ke nuur aankhon ka gaya

bujh hi jaate hain diye jis vaqt sab roghan jala

When my tears dried up,

my eyes went dark.

Lamps shed their light

when the fuel is finished.

sho’la afshaani nahien y kuchh naii is aah se

duun lagi hai aisi aisi bhi k saara ban jala

My fiery sighs are nothing new.

But they can do lot of damage.

Small hidden fires sometimes burn down

the entire forest.

aag si ik dil mein sulge hai kabhu bharki to Mir

de gi meri haddiyon ka dher juun iindhan jala

There is a fire in my heart, Mir,

that is smouldering.

If it ever gathered momentum,

it would reduce my bones

to a pile of ashes.9

faqiiraana aaye sada kar chale

k miyaan khush raho ham du’aa kar chale

I came like a mendicant.

I made my call and left a prayer:

Miyan, be happy;

you have my blessings!

These were my words before I departed.

jo tujh bin n jiine ko kahte the ham

so is a’hd ko ab vafa kar chale

I told you

I could not live without you.

Now I fulfill my promise

by leaving this world.

koi na-ummiidaana karte nigaah

so tum ham se munh bhi chhupa kar chale

I would have been satisfied

with a despairing look,

but before you departed

you even veiled your face from me.

bahut aarzu thi gali ki teri

so yaan se luhu mein naha kar chale

I had great desire

to see your alley.

So I took a bath in blood

before I departed.

dikhaaii diye yuun k be-khud kiya

hamein aap se bhi juda kar chale

When I saw you

I lost my senses.

I was not in my body

after I fell in love with you.

jabiin sajde karte hi karte gaii

haq-e bandagi ham ada kar chale

Constant prostration

made a mark on my forehead.

But as your servant I did my part

before I departed.

parastish ki yaan tak ki ai but tujhe

nazar mein sabhon ki khuda kar chale

My adoration for you, my idol,

crossed all limits.

I turned you into a divine deity

before I departed.

gaaii u’mr dar band fikr-e ghazal

so is fan ko aisa bara kar chale

I spent my whole life

in the service of ghazal

and raising this art

to the pinnacle of excellence!

kahein kya jo puuchhe koi ham se Mir

jahaan mein tum aaye the kya kar chale

What should I tell, Mir,

if someone asks:

You came into this world.

What did you do

before you departed?10

garche kab dekhte ho par dekho

aarzu hai k tum idhar dekho

Although you never look at me,

I request you to do so now.

This is my intense desire.

I want you to listen

to my entreaties.

i’shq kya kya hamein dikhaata hai

aah tum bhi to ik nazar dekho

Love makes us vulnerable.

Please do come closer and

look at the wonder.

yuun a’rq jalvagar hai us munh par

jis tarah os phuul par dekho

Her face glows when she perspires

and traces of sweat appear on her face,

just like dewdrops on a flower.

pahunche hain ham qariib marne ke

yaa’ni jaate hain duur agar dekho

I have reached a point

where I am ready to depart.

I will go very far.

Think about it and look at me.

lutf mujh mein bhi hain hazaaron Mir

diidni huun jo soch kar dekho

I am filled with

countless delights, Mir.

I am worth a look

if you observe me

as intently as you can.11

ham aap hi ko apna maqsuud jaante hain

apne sivaae kis ko maujuud jaante hain

I consider myself

to be the focus of my search.

No one, but I am the only one

who exists.

a’jz o niyaaz apna apni taraf hai saara

is musht-e khaak ko ham masjuud jaante hain

All my humility and consideration

is directed towards my own self.

Though it is no more than a handful of dust,

it is worthy of dedication and devotion.

i’shq un ki a’ql ko hai jo maasaavaa hamaare

naachiiz jaante hain naabuud jaante hain

If according to their wisdom

something other than the self

is worthy of veneration,

they have no worth or substance.

apni hi sair karne ham jalvaagar hue the

is ramz ko valekin maa’duud jaante hain

We came to this world

to explore the reality of self.

This great secret is known only

to very few people.

mar kar bhi haath aave to Mir muft hai vo

ji ke ziyaan ko bhi ham suud jaante hain

If I get her while dying, Mir,

she will cost me nothing.

All the tribulations in the business of love

are actually a gain.12

hasti apni habaab ki si hai

y numaaish saraab ki si hai

This life is no different from a bubble.

This showmanship, this exhibition,

is no different from a mirage.

nazuki us ke lab ki kya kahiye

pankhari ik gulaab ki si hai

What can anyone say

about the delicate beauty of her lips?

They are more like a petal of a rose.

baar baar us ke dar p jaata huun

haalat ab iztiraab ki si hai

I go to her door time and again,

notwithstanding the mental state

that shows my great distress.

main jo bola kaha k y aavaaz

usi khaana-kharaab ki si hai

On hearing my voice she said:

this voice belongs

to the ruinous person

whom I know and recognize.

Mir un niim-baaz aankhon mein

saari masti sharaab ki si hai

Mir, the intoxication

of those half-opened eyes

is exactly the same

that comes from wine.13

jis sar ko ghuruur aaj hai yaan taajvari ka

kal us p yahiin shor hai phir nauha-gari ka

The one who is proud

of wearing a crown today,

he will soon see a day of lamentation

hit him tomorrow.

aafaaq ki manzil se gaya kaun salaamat

asbaab luta raah mein yaan har safari ka

No one has traversed this universe safely.

Everyone had his belongings plundered,

somewhere on the way.

zindaan mein bhi shorish n gaii apne junuun ki

ab sang madaava hai is aashufta-sari ka

Even the prison could not cure

the tumult of my madness.

Now the only cure left is a stone

to dash my crazy head against.

le saans bhi aahista k naazuk hai bahut kaam

aafaaq ki is kaar-gah-e shiisha-gari ka

Breathe carefully; it is a delicate task.

This illusory world in real terms

is a glassmaker’s workshop.

tuk Mir-e jigar sokhta ki jald khabar le

kya yaar bharosa hai chiraagh-e saheri ka

Get some news about Mir

whose heart is on fire.

You can’t depend on the lamp

that has burnt overnight

and the morning is near.14

kis ki masjid kaise maikhaane kahaan ke sheikh o shaab

ek gardish mein teri chashm-e siyaah ke sab kharaab

Who cares for the mosque? What taverns?

Where are the