– فسانہ دل –

جو کبھی تاجِ خسروانہ ہو
دیکھتے دیکھتے فسانہ ہوا

دردِ دل یوں چھپائے پھرتے ہو
عشق اک کارِ مجرمانہ ہوا

یوں فسردہ ہو دل کے کھونے پر
گویا دل بھی کوئی خزانہ ہوا

اک مسافر ہے دہر میں ہر شخص
مستقل کس کا یاں ٹھکانا ہوا

ساتھ برسوں کا جیسے اک لمحہ
پل بچھڑنے کا اک زمانہ ہوا

اس کی آنکھوں میں بند تھا دریا
وقتِ رخصت، تو بس بہانہ ہوا

کیا مکان سے مکین کا پردہ
دردِ دل، دل سے کیا چھپانا ہوا

— اطہر زیدی

 

 

Translation and Deeper Analysis:

1.

جو کبھی تاجِ خسروانہ ہو
دیکھتے دیکھتے فسانہ ہوا

“That which once shone as a royal crown,
Before our eyes, turned into a mere tale.”

Analysis:

This verse speaks of the transience of power and glory. The grandeur of kingship, once dazzling, fades into history’s forgotten pages. The poet reflects on how time erases even the mightiest of empires, reducing them to mere stories.

2.

دردِ دل یوں چھپائے پھرتے ہو
عشق اک کارِ مجرمانہ ہوا

“Why do you wander, hiding the ache in your heart?
Love has become a crime to bewail.”

Analysis:

This verse highlights the forbidden nature of love and the burden of concealed emotions. The poet portrays love as something society sees as a sin or crime, forcing lovers to suffer in silence. There’s a sense of heartbreak and repression, where emotions are criminalized rather than celebrated.

3.

یوں فسردہ ہو دل کے کھونے پر
گویا دل بھی کوئی خزانہ ہوا

“So sorrowful you are over losing a heart,
As if the heart were some priceless treasure.”

Analysis:

The poet sarcastically questions the depth of grief over a lost heart. The mocking tone suggests that while love and emotions feel precious, in the grand scheme of things, they may not hold the value we assign them. This verse plays with the idea of overestimating the worth of human emotions in a fleeting world.

4.

اک مسافر ہے دہر میں ہر شخص
مستقل کس کا یاں ٹھکانا ہوا

“Every soul in this world is but a traveler,
Who here has an eternal shelter to prevail?”

Analysis:

This verse captures the ephemeral nature of human existence. Life is a journey, and no one stays forever. The poet reflects on impermanence, questioning who among us truly belongs to this world. It resonates with Sufi philosophy, emphasizing detachment and the transient nature of life.

5.

ساتھ برسوں کا جیسے اک لمحہ
پل بچھڑنے کا اک زمانہ ہوا

“Years together may feel like a fleeting moment,
Yet a moment of parting may turn into an era.”

Analysis:

Here, the poet contrasts time’s paradox in love. The happiness of years spent together feels brief, while the pain of separation stretches endlessly. This verse reflects the emotional weight of parting, where moments of grief outweigh a lifetime of joy.

6.

اس کی آنکھوں میں بند تھا دریا
وقتِ رخصت، تو بس بہانہ ہوا

“His eyes held an ocean, restrained within.

The moment of parting simply became the excuse.“

Analysis:

🌊 Literal Meaning & Imagery

• “آنکھوں میں بند تھا دریا” conveys that the person had been holding back a tremendous flood of emotions — likened here to a “darya” (ocean). It’s a powerful metaphor for emotional repression.
• “وقتِ رخصت، تو بس بہانہ ہوا” then reveals the twist: the parting moment was not the actual cause of the emotional outburst — it was merely a trigger, a catalyst, an excuse to finally release what had long been restrained.

💔 Emotional Interpretation

This verse masterfully portrays a very human truth:
People often carry grief, love, longing, or sorrow silently for long periods — especially in love. And when a “moment of goodbye” arrives, it becomes socially permissible, almost ritualistic, to cry. But the tears don’t just belong to that moment — they belong to everything that came before it.

It suggests:

• A heart trained to stay composed.
• Eyes brimming with pain that never found expression — until that one moment.
• And how farewells often unlock years of silent ache.

7.

کیا مکان سے مکین کا پردہ
دردِ دل، دل سے کیا چھپانا ہوا

“What veil can exist between the house and the dweller?
Why hide the ache of the heart… from the heart itself?”

Analysis:

🧠 Literal Interpretation

• مکان (house) and مکین (inhabitant) are not separate; they are one.
  Similarly, the دل (heart) and دردِ دل (heartache) are inseparable.
• So, the verse asks — rhetorically and almost sarcastically — “What’s the point of hiding something from that which already contains it?”

💔 Emotional Interpretation

This couplet captures the futility of inner denial.

• We often try to pretend we’re not hurt… even to ourselves.
• We might distract, numb, or rationalize our emotional pain… but deep down, the heart knows.
• You can lie to the world. But how do you lie to your own soul?

The poet compares this self-denial to the absurd idea of someone trying to hide themselves within their own home — or hiding from their own reflection.

What do you think about the translation? Does it truley reflect the meaning, emotional  spirit and profound message poet is trying to convey? Share your thoughts in the comments below.