Karachi – some lines from Ibne Insha
15 May 2007
I am grateful to my long lost friend Zaman for sharing these remorseful lines from Ibn-e-Insha, the great Urdu poet and writer.
I am posting the original version in Urdu along with a maladroit translation (attempted by this author).
Meri Hasratoon ka Roma
Meri Wehshatoon ka Deli
Mera Baldia Karachi
Mujhey Aur Kon Janey
Yehi dey to dey Gawahi
Key Haseen Sooratoon say
Yahan her gali bharee thee.
Translation
The Rome of my unfulfilled desires
The Delhi of my wildernesses
My city Karachi
Who else knows me?
Only Karachi can testify
Beautiful faces, once,
lived here on every street
Image above is from here
All My Posts, Arts & Culture, Karachi, On Pakistan, Poetry, South Asian Literature, Urdu, Urdu Literature
Are the lyrics for this available on the web?
Lyrics in Punjabi?
Try apnaa.org
Some are here:
paRh paRh ilm hazaar kitaabaN
qaddi apnay aap nou paRhiya naee
jaaN jaaN waRhday mandir maseedi
qaddi mann apnay wich waRhiya naee
aa-vaiN laRda aye shaitan de naal bandeaa
qaddi nafss apnay naal laRiya naee
[yes, yes, you have read thousands of books
but you have never tried to read your own self
you rush in, into your Mandirs, into your Mosques
but you have never tried to enter your own heart
futile are all your battles with Satan
for you have never tried to fight your own desires]
… kuttay, taiN touN uttay
mulla kanouN kuKKar changaaN
jehRa yaar jagaway suttay
taiN kan uttay…
[dogs are higher than you
and the rooster is better than the Mullah
for at least they wake friends who are asleep]
thanks.
Assalam o alaikum,
Just came across your blog by chance, and I couldn’t help it but felt like crying on reading the above translation:
“Who else knows me?
Only Karachi can testify
Beautiful faces, once,
lived here on every street”
One feels at a loss of words, and so helpless given the current state of affairs on what has happened to our city/country.