Hamala
The Himalayas
Ae hamala! ae faseel e kishwar e hindustan
choomta ha teri paishani ko jhuk ker aasman
O Himalah! O rampart of the realm of India!
Bowing down, the sky kisses your forehead
Tujh mein kuch paida nahin derina rozee ke nishan
tu jawan hai gardish e sham o saher ke darmiyan
Your condition does not show any signs of old age
You are young in the midst of day and night’s alternation
Aik jalwa tha kaleem e toor e sina ke liye
tu tajali hai sarapa chasm e beena ke liye
The Kaleem of Tur Sina witnessed but one Effulgence
For the discerning eye you are an embodiment of Effulgence
Imtihan e didah zahir mein kohistan hai tu
pasban apna hai tu, dewar e hindustan hai tu
To the outward eye you are a mere mountain range
In reality you are our sentinel, you are India’s rampart
Matla e awwal falak jis ka ho vo diwan hai tu
suay khilwat gah e dil daman kash e insan hai tu
You are the divan whose opening verse is the sky
You lead Man to the solitudes of his heart’s retreat
Barf ne bandhi hai dastar e fazilat tere sar
khanda zan hai kalah e meher e aalam taab par
Snow has endowed you with the turban of honor
Which scoffs at the crown of the world‐illuminating sun
Teri umar e rafta ki ek aan hai ehad e kuhan
wadiyon mein hain teri kali ghataen khema zan
Antiquity is but a moment of your bygone age
Dark clouds are encamped in your valleys
Chotiyan teri surayya se hain sargaram e sukhan
tu zameen per aur pehna e falak tera watan
Your peaks are matching with the Pleiades in elegance
Though you are standing on earth your abode is sky’s expanse
Chasma e daman tera aaeena siyyal hai
daman e mouj e hawa jis ke liye rumal hai
The stream in your flank is a fast flowing mirror
For which the breeze is working like a kerchief
Abar ke hathon mein rahwar e hawa ke waste
taziyana de diya barq e sar e kohsar ne
The mountain top’s lightning has given a whip
In the hands of cloud for the ambling horse
Ae hamala koi bazi gah hai tu bhi, jise
dast e qudrat ne banaya hai aanasir ke liye
O Himalah! Are you like a theatre stage
Which nature’s hand has made for its elements?
Haye kya firat e tarab mein jhoomta jata hai abar
feel e be zanjeer ki surat ura jata hai abar
Ah! How the cloud is swaying in excessive joy
The cloud like an unchained elephant is speeding
Junbish e mouj e naseem e subah gehwara bani
jhoomti hai nasha e husti mein har gul ki kali
Gentle movement of the morning zephyr is acting like a cradle
Every flower bud is swinging with intoxication of existence
Yun zuban e berg se goya hai iss ke khamshi
dast e gulcheen ki jhatak mein ne nahin dekhi kabhi
The flower bud’s silence with the petal’s tongue is saying
“I have never experienced the jerk of the florist’s hand
Keh rahi hai meri khamoshi hi afsana mera
kunj e khalwat khana e qudrat hai kashana mera
Silence itself is relating the tale of mine
The corner of nature’s solitude is the abode of mine”
Aati hai nadi faraz e koh se gati huwi
kausar o tasneem ki moujon ko sharmati huwi
The brook is melodiously descending from the high land
Putting the waves of Kawthar and Tasnim to embarrassment
Aaeena sa shahid e qudrat ko dikhlati huwi
sang e reh se gah bachti gah takrati huwi
As if showing the mirror to Nature’s beauty
Now evading now rowing against the rock in its way
Chairti ja iss iraq e dil nasheen ke saaz ko
ae musafir dil samjhta hai teri awaz ko
Play in passing this orchestra of beautiful music
O wayfarer! The heart comprehends your music
Laila e shab kholti hai aa ke jab zulf e rasa
daman e dil khenchti hai aabsharon ke sada
When the night’s Layla unfurls her long hair
The sound of water‐falls allures the heart
Vo khamoshi sham ki jis per takalum ho fida
vo darkhton per tafakkur ka saman chaya huwa
That silence of the night whose beauty surpasses speech
That state of silent meditation overshadowing the trees
Kanpta phirta hai kya rang e shafaq kohsar per
khushnuma lagta hai ye ghazah tere rukhsar per
That dusk’s beauty which shivers along the mountain range
Very beautiful looks this rouge on your cheeks
Ae hamala! dastan uss waqt ki koi suna
maskan e aabaay insan jab bana daman tera
O Himalah! Do relate to us some stories of the time
When your valleys became abode of Man’s ancestors
Kuch bata uss seedhi sadi zindagi ka majra
dagh jis par ghaza rang e takalluf ka na tha
Relate something of the life without sophistication
Which had not been stained by the rouge of sophistication
Haan dikha de ae tasawwar phir woh subah o sham tu
dorh piche ki taraf ae ghardish e ayyam tu
O Imagination! Bring back that period
O Vicissitudes of Time speed backwards