Hum To Majboor Thay Is Dil Se

Hum to majboor thay is dil se keh jis mein her dum
Gardish-e-khoo.n se vo kohraam bipa rehta hai
Jesay rindaan-e-bala_nosh jo mil bathain baham
Mae-kaday mein safr-e-jaam bipa rehta hai
Soz-e-khaatir ko mila jab bhi sahaara koi
Daagh-e-harmaa.n koi ya dard-e-tamanna koi
Marham-e-yaas se maail ba shifa honay laga
Zakhm-e-ummeed koi phir se hara honay laga
Hum to majboor thay is dil se keh jis ki zidd per
Hum ne us raat ke maathay pe seher ki tehreer
Jis ke daaman mein andheray ke siva kuch bhi na tha
Hum ne us dasht ko thehra liya firdaus-e-nazeer
Jis mein juz san'at-e-khoon-e-sar-e-pa kuch bhi na tha
Dil ko tabeer koi aur gavaara he na thee
Kulfat-e-zeest to manzoor thee her taur magar
Raahat-e-marg kisi taur gavaara he na thee

~Faiz Ahmed Faiz

gardish = rotation
kohraam = chaos
bipa = present (as in state of being)
rindaan-e-bala_nosh = heavy drinkers
baham = together
mae-kaday = bar; a place where ppl drink
soz-e-khaatir = pains of the heart/soul
harmaa.n = privation
yaas = despair
maail = leaning towards
dasht = desert
firdaus-e-nazeer = sought out paradise
juz = except
san'at = industry
gavaara = tolerate
kulfat = problem' issue
zeest = life
raahat = peace; comfort
marg = death

(We were impelled by the heart
Where blood runs in excitement,
Like the circulatingwine glass
As the revelers gather in the tavern.
Whenever the heartaches received assistance -
A scar of privation, a pain of unfulfilled wish -
And began to heal with the treatment of disappointments;
Some new wounds of hope opened again.
We were impelled by the heart
On whose insistence
We wrote "morning" on the forehead of the "night",
Which has nothing but darkness on its lap.
We took this desert as our heaven
Although it has nothing but the industry of bloods-shed.
The heart would not accept any other meaning;
It would embrace life's miseries in all forms
But not the peace of death)

~Translation by: M. H. K. Qureshi