“Kabhi Unka Naam Lena Kabhi Unki Baat Karna” is a timeless Ghazal by
Pir Naseer-ud-Din Naseer. This masterpiece, presented here in its rare 11-couplet form, captures the essence of Junoon (divine madness) and the total surrender of a lover. From the restless nights of separation to the ultimate protection found in the Beloved’s refuge, this Kalam is a cornerstone of modern Arifana poetry.
کبھی اُن کا نام لینا کبھی اُن کی بات کرنا
مِرا ذوق اُن کی چاہت مرا شوق اُن پہ مرنا
Kabhi Unka Naam Lena Kabhi Unki Baat Karna
Mera Zauq Unki Chahat Mera Shauq Un Pe Marna
Sometimes to invoke his name, sometimes to speak of him;
My taste is his love, my passion is to die for him.
وہ کسی کی جھیل آنکھیں وہ مِری جُنوں مِزاجی
کبھی ڈُوبنا اُبھر کر کبھی ڈُوب کر اُبھرنا
Woh Kisi Ki Jheel Aankhein Woh Meri Junoon Mizaji
Kabhi Doobna Ubhar Kar Kabhi Doob Kar Ubharna
Those lake-like eyes and my melancholic temperament;
Sometimes emerging to drown, sometimes drowning to emerge.
تِرے منچلوں کا جگ میں یہ عجب چلن رہا ہے
نہ کِسی کی بات سُننا ، نہ کِسی سے بات کرنا
Tere Man-Chalon Ka Jag Mein Yeh Ajab Chalan Raha Hai
Na Kisi Ki Baat Sunna, Na Kisi Se Baat Karna
Your carefree lovers have a strange way in this world;
Neither listening to anyone, nor speaking to anyone.
شبِ غم نہ پُوچھ کیسے تِرے مُبتلا پہ گُزری
کبھی آہ بھر کے گِرنا کبھی گِر کے آہ بھرنا
Shab-e-Gham Na Pooch Kaise Tere Mubtala Pe Guzri
Kabhi Aah Bhar Ke Girna Kabhi Gir Ke Aah Bharna
Ask not how the night of grief passed for the one afflicted by You;
Sometimes falling with a sigh, sometimes sighing after the fall.
وہ تِری گلی کے تیور، وہ نظر نظر پہ پہرے
وہ مِرا کِسی بہانے تُجھے دیکھتے گُزرنا
Woh Teri Gali Ke Tevar, Woh Nazar Nazar Pe Pehre
Woh Mera Kisi Bahane Tujhe Dekhte Guzarna
The atmosphere of your street, the watch on every glance;
And my passing by, looking for any excuse to see You.
کہاں میرے دِل کی حسرت، کہاں میری نارسائی
کہاں تیرے گیسوؤں کا ، تِرے دوش پر بِکھرنا
Kahan Mere Dil Ki Hasrat, Kahan Meri Na-Rasayi
Kahan Tere Gesuon Ka, Tere Dosh Par Bikharna
Where is my heart’s longing, where is my failure to reach;
And where is the scattering of your tresses upon your shoulders.
تجھے دیکھ کر نہ جانے ابھی کیوں ہیں لوگ زندہ
ہے عجیب بد مذاقی تجھے دیکھ کر نہ مرنا
Tujhe Dekh Kar Na Jaane Abhi Kyun Hain Log Zinda
Hai Ajeeb Bad-Mazaqi Tujhe Dekh Kar Na Marna
I know not why people are still alive after seeing You;
It is a strange lack of taste to not die upon seeing You.
ترے سامنے سے آکر کویی. آئینہ ہٹا دے
کہ بڑھا رہا ہے اُلجھن تری زلف کا سنورنا
Tere Samne Se Aakar Koi Aayina Hata De
Ke Badha Raha Hai Uljhan Teri Zulf Ka Sanwarna
Let someone come and remove the mirror from before You;
For the grooming of your tresses is increasing my restlessness.
مرا آشیاں جلا دے نہیں اس کا خوف ، لیکن
نہ قفس میں قید کر کے مرے بال و پر کترنا
Mera Ashiyan Jala De Nahi Is Ka Khauf, Lekin
Na Qafas Mein Qaid Kar Ke Mere Baal-o-Par Katarna
Burn down my nest, I have no fear of that; but,
Do not imprison me in a cage and clip my wings.
چلے لاکھ چال دُنیا ہو زمانہ لاکھ دُشمن
جو تِری پناہ میں ہو اُسے کیا کِسی سے ڈرنا
Chale Lakh Chaal Duniya Ho Zamana Lakh Dushman
Jo Teri Panah Mein Ho Usse Kya Kisi Se Darna
Let the world play a million tricks, let the times be a million enemies;
The one who is in Your refuge has nothing to fear from anyone.
وہ کریں گے ناخُدائی تو لگے گی پار کشتی
ہے نصیر ورنہ مُشکل , تِرا پار یوں اُترنا
Woh Karein Ge Na-Khudayi To Lage Gi Paar Kashti
Hai Naseer Warna Mushkil, Tera Paar Yun Utarna
If He acts as the Pilot, only then will the boat reach the shore;
Otherwise, O Naseer, it is impossible for you to cross over like this.
Hikmat-e-Naseer: Kabhi Unka Naam Lena
- Junoon-Mizaji (جُنوں مِزاجی): A temperament inclined towards madness/ecstasy of love.
- Na-Rasayi (نارسائی): Inability to reach; failure of access.
- Dosh (دوش): Shoulder.
- Bad-Mazaqi (بد مزاقی): Lack of taste or appreciation.
- Baal-o-Par (بال و پر): Wings and feathers (symbols of freedom/ability).
- Na-Khudayi (ناخُدائی): Stewardship of a ship; acting as a captain or pilot.
Thematic Connection: The Journey of the Soul
Pir Naseer’s 11-couplet masterpiece is a journey from the restless nights of a lover to the safety of the Beloved’s refuge. These themes of Junoon, Panah, and Na-Khudayi are echoed by the greatest masters of Arifana Kalam.
Alahazrat – Panah
Pir Naseer insists that the one in the Beloved’s refuge has no fear, just as Alahazrat urges us to seek that shelter today.
Pir Mehar Ali – Gesu
The scattering of tresses (Gesu) on the shoulders in Naseer’s Ghazal finds its mystic origin in the ‘Kaali Zulf’ of Golra Sharif.
Bedam – Mitna
Naseer’s passion is to die for the Beloved, echoing Bedam’s plea to be erased and turned to dust in His name.
Allama Iqbal – NaKhuda
Pir Naseer acknowledges that crossing the sea is only possible through the Pilot (Na-Khuda), a deep contrast to Iqbal’s vision of those destined to drown.
Bedam – Deedar
Naseer’s excuse to pass through the street for a glimpse is the very essence of the wealth of Deedar-e-Mustafa mentioned by Bedam.
Allama Iqbal – Ashiyaan
Naseer’s fearless acceptance of a burnt nest finds its philosophical root in Iqbal’s Shaheen, who refuses the safety of the nest.
Bedam – Ashiyaanay
The metaphor of the burning nest in Naseer’s verse is beautifully paired with Bedam’s description of the lightning striking the ‘worthy’ straws of the nest.
Recitation of Kabhi Unka Naam Lena
Poet:
Pir Naseer ud Din Naseer (پیر نصیر الدین نصیر)
The Shayar-e-Haft Zaban (Poet of Seven Languages), his work is a bridge between classical tradition and modern expression.
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