Saturday, February 25, 2012

Ghalib - Iqbal - Faraz - Me

This post is a daring one since I am trying to give a reply to some of the greatest poets of all times. Its a series of couplets beautifully written by one and excellently responded by another poet from a completely different generation.

The chain was first started by Ghalib in 19th century with the following couplet:

Ghalib sharab peene de masjid men baithkar,
Yaa wo jagah bataa jahan khuda nahi.

(Let me have a drink sitting in the mosque else tell me the place where God is not)

This was responded to by Iqbal in the first half of 20th Century as follows:

Masjid khuda ka ghar hai, peene ki jagah nahi,
Kaafir ke dil men ja, wahan khuda nahi.

(Mosque is the abode of God, not a place to drink. Go to the heart of a non-believer because there God is not)

And it came down to later half of the 20th Century when Faraz replied with the following beautiful lines:

Kaafir ke dil se aaya hoon ye dekhkar Faraz,
Khuda maujood hai wahan par use pata nahi.

(Faraz is coming from the heart of non-believer, God lives there, he knows not)

And in 21st Century, here is my response:

Are Ghalib, Are Iqbal, O Faraz sun zara,
Hoga kahiin aisa koii jisko pata nahiin,
Kaafir ke dil men bhi hai, masjid men bhi hai wo,
Laa do mujhe sharaab wo, jismen khudaa nahi.

(Listen O Ghalib Iqbaal and Faraz, there is no one who knows not, he does live in the heart of the non believer and the Mosque, You bring me that wine in which he is not)

Let me know :)