Shan-e-Ajam na kar qubul

"Shan-e-Ajam na kar qubul" by Dr Saleem Wahid Saleem posted by Muslim Saleem on August 31, 2010

Dr. Saleem Wahid Saleem's poem "Wuhi Rang Hai"

Above is an epic poem by great poet Dr. Saleem Wahid Saleem titled “Wuhi rang hai” (It’s the same colour everywhere). The poem was written just after creation of Pakistan. Dr Saleem was swayed by Communism. Soon after, the then Pakistan government launched an offensive against progressive writers as a result of which these poets and writers including Faiz Ahmad Faiz went underground for years. Dr Saleem Wahid Saleem was also under immense pressure. Therefore, his father Dr. Khalifa Abdul Wahid Dar sent him to England to isolate him from government’s suppressive methods. Dr. Saleem lived in England for quite some time and worked as an anchor of BBC Persian Service. Even in Britain, he was haunted by sleuths of intelligence, as he has written in one of his documents. Had Dr Saleem not remained in oblivion, this poem could have been one of the masterpieces of progressive literature in Urdu. In the poem, the poet eulogises the red colour (a symbol of communism) saying that this colour has its imprint on every walk of life. I am anti-Communism and don’t agree with Dr Saleem Wahid Saleem’s thoughts, but there is no denying the fact that this poem is indeed one of the best among the progressive poetry…Muslim Saleem August 29, 2010.

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“Khwaab” by Dr Saleem Wahid Saleem

“Khwaab” by Dr Saleem Wahid Saleem
Rakh zinda use ho jo koi khwab tawanaa
Akhir ye koi sang-o-gil-o-khaak naheen hai
Aflaak ke neeche tah-e-khursheed-e-jahaan taab
Kucch is se siwaa khwab-e-tarabnaak naheen hai
Tashkeel jisay hiddat-e-zahni ne diya ho
Aur dil ki tamannaon ko matloob hua ho
Khush rang ho jo saaya-e-pur karb-e-fana mein
Yaa neend ne tabinda-o-marghoob kiya ho
Ya abr-e-bahaaraan ne bina daali ho jiski
Taabish guhar andazi-e-baaraan ne bhi dee ho
Ubhra ho jawani ke tarab khez ufuq se
Masti kisi maasoom kharamaan ne bhi dee ho
Ya ubhraa ho peeri ki alamnaak fazaa mein
Jab ras ho na mas ho na kisi shokh ki chhab ho
Ho umr kay mausam mein shab-e-mausam-e-sarma’
Har rang naye karb, naye gham ka sabab ho
Us waqt yahi Daulat-e-bedaar-e-dil-o-zahn
Bas ek yahi khwaab nibhaaye gaa tira saath
Jo daur-e-tabaahi mein tabaahi ke khushi ho
Har ehd mein gulrez raha aur raha saath
Rakh yaad gil-o-sang bhi ho jaayenge gul khez
Ye khwaab raha saath agar taa dam-e-aakhir
Ek mehr-e-guhartaab tere saath rahe gaa
Bakhshe gaa tujhe Daulat-e-bedaar-e-masarrat
Aur zahn ki wus’at ko tarab khez ada bhi
Phoolon ki, shigoofon ki tarawat hi mahak bhi
Fawwaron ki aawaazen bhi, panchhi ki sadaa bhi
Haan, sirf tire khwaab ko haasil hai ye taufeeq
Wo jo tire zahn aur dil-e-muztar ki hai ijaad
Jo karb ke mausam ko tarab khez banaa de
Aur kar de kharaabon ko bhi baa-raunaq-o-aabaad
Jo tere nafas mein rahe taabinda-o-zinda
Taabinda-o-paainda-o-pur taab-o-jahinda

(Central idea from W.H. Auden’s poem)

(Note by Muslim Saleem (It is one of the best translations done by my father. In a way, the translation seems better than the original poem. It also offsets Dr Saleem Wahid Saleem’s honesty that he had admitted it to be a translation and had not claimed credit for an original work unlike many Urdu stalwarts including Ghalib who lifted others’ poetry and gave it their name.)

Poem ‘Azeem Shafqat’ by Dr. Saleem Wahid Saleem

Poem ‘Azeem Shafqat’ by Dr. Saleem Wahid Saleem

(1) Zameen par jaa-ba-jaa pahodon ke silsile hain
Jo apne daaman mein sabza-o-gul
Aur apni tehh mein karodon almas-o-laal rakh kar
Taweel saayon ke farsh khole khadey huey hain
Ghane darakht apne sabz patton, haseen shigufoon sey khema-e-saayadar bun kar
Lachakti shaakhon ke morchhal le ke, hiddat-e-aftab ke saamne sipar hain
Zameen bhi seena kholti hai
Har ek daane ko apne dil mein
Bithha ke paudey, darakht, phal, phool ke manaazil bhi bakhshti hai
Aur aasman ko sametne ki bulandiyaan bhi
Numu ke andaaz-e-bekaraan mein ubharti hai


(2) Har ek jheel aur har eik darya
Har abshar aur har eik samandar
Yahi tarana suna raha hai
Ke koi pyasa na rehne paaye
Ke tashnagi ka shikanja-e-beamaan kisi ko na kasne paaye

(3) Azeen fitrat ki shafqaton mein
Har eik ka hissa musaviyana
Karodon saalon, karodon faslein
Ugeen magar, aadmi hai ab tak
Khud aadmi hi ki cheera-dasti-o-ghasb koshi ka hi nishana

(4) Hamari insaniyat yahi hai
Ke ham usee shafqat-e-muazzam
Usee muhabbat, usee sadaqat ko ku-ba-ku, su-ba-su lutaayen


(Posted by Muslim Saleem, son of Dr Saleem Wahid Saleem, on August 15, 2010. Also see in poetry section of www.khojkhabarnews.com)

Poem “Qurb-e-Awwaleen” by Dr Saleem Wahid Saleem

Poem “Qurb-e-Awwaleen” by Dr Saleem Wahid Saleem is yet another very intense poem by my father Dr. Saleem Wahid Saleem. I had copied it in my own handwriting and due to paucity of time I am posting the photograph of the same writing for the benefit of readers. (Muslim Saleem- August 18, 2010)