I finally bought Faiz Saheb's complete works in Urdu the other day, and its an ineffable joy dipping in to whenever I have a moment, it brings up either sublime poetry i've never read before or a lost favorite, long left by the wayside by my sieve-like memory.
and na gavao was one of the later, sung so wonderfully by the late Iqbal Bano - imperative i thought, then, to share. through the wonder of the intewebs i discover though, that one need not re-invent the wheel:
Na ganvao navak-e-neem kash, dil-e-reza reza ganva dia
Jo bachay hain sang samet lo, tan-e-dagh dagh luta dia
navak-e-neem kash = half drawn arrow (another usage is in ‘ye na thi hamari kismet’ by Ghalib - “koi mere dil se poochhe tere teer-e-neem kash ko…”)
dil-e-reza = torn pieces of heart
Do not waste your half-drawn arrow(ready to be released) on me, I have already lost the torn pieces of my heart. (Do not waste and) save the left over stones because I have wasted my body already in wounds.
Mere charagar ko naveed ho, saf-e-dushmana ko khabar karo
Woh jo qarz rakhtay thay jaan par, woh hisab aaj chuka dia
naved = good news
saf-e-dushmana = group of my enemies
Inform my foes and let my well-wishers know that the debt which bore on my(our) life and soul has been paid for.
Karo kaj jabeen pe sar-e-kafan, mere qatilon ko guman na ho
Ke ghuroor-e-ishq ka baankpan, pas-e-marg hum ne bhula dia
Keep my kafan tilted at my forehead as a sign of defiance and pride. Let not my assassins have the misapprehension that they could crush the honor and self-pride of my love at my death (by killing me). That is to say that even if they have taken life out of me and I have sacrificed myself, my soul and honor is immortal.
Jo rukay toh koh-e-garan the hum, jo chalay to jaan se guzar gaye
Rah-e-yaar hum ne qadam qadam, tujhay yadgaar bana dia
koh-e-garaan = difficult mountain (koh=mountain; garaan=tough)
These lines summarise the journey of the one who is fighting for a cause and his people. A journey consists of the ‘travelling’ part and the ‘non-travelling’ or resting part. Faiz says that when we stopped, we were as firm and unyielding as a difficult mountain; when we walked, we became larger than life, we gave the momentum to the cause ie we gave it the activity which signifies life. And with every step we progressed, we made this whole journey a testament of our struggle and sacrifices. It is an interesting viewpoint: its not the hard journey that gave us a recognition but the other way round.
above is the excerpted version found
here