Hum Dekhenge
Faiz Ahmed Faiz
Hum dekhenge
Lazim hai ke hum bhi dekhenge
Wo din ke jis ka wada hai
Jo lauh-e-azl mein likha hai
Jab zulm-o-sitam ke koh-e-garan
Rooi ki tarah ur jaenge
Hum mehkoomon ke paaon tale
Ye dharti dhar dhar dharkegi
Aur ahl-e-hakam ke sar oopar
Jab bijli kar kar karkegi
Jab arz-e-Khuda ke kaabe se
Sab but uthwae jaenge
Hum ahl-e-safa mardood-e-harm
Masnad pe bethae jaenge
Sab taaj uchale jaenge
Sab takht girae jaenge
Bas naam rahega Allah ka
Jo ghayab bhi hai hazir bhi
Jo manzar bhi hai nazir bhi
Utthega an-al-haq ka nara
Jo mai bhi hoon tum bhi ho
Aur raaj karegi Khalq-e-Khuda
Jo mai bhi hoon aur tum bhi ho
My Translation
We shall Witness
It is certain that we too, shall witness
the day that has been promised
of which has been written on the slate of eternity
When the enormous mountains of tyranny
blow away like cotton.
Under our feet- the feet of the oppressed-
when the earth will pulsate deafeningly
and on the heads of our rulers
when lightning will strike.
From the abode of God
When icons of falsehood will be taken out,
When we- the faithful- who have been barred out of sacred places
will be seated on high cushions
When the crowns will be tossed,
When the thrones will be brought down.
Only The name will survive
Who cannot be seen but is also present
Who is the spectacle and the beholder, both
I am the Truth- the cry will rise,
Which is I, as well as you
And then God’s creation will rule
Which is I, as well as you
January 8, 2008 at 7:48 pm
wonderful, wonderful. who is this author?
January 8, 2008 at 8:12 pm
Well done. Great translation.
haha…
And welcome to blogging from a lazy blogger
seriously, thats the worst thing that can happen to you here. Laziness.
enjoy, and good luck.
January 8, 2008 at 8:31 pm
Beautiful, I look forward to reading more. Good luck!
April 10, 2008 at 9:07 am
Thanks! for such a warm welcome and sorry for such a tardy response
April 15, 2008 at 3:52 pm
[...] Transliteration and translation [...]
June 9, 2008 at 11:30 pm
Hello Ghazala,
Loved your translation. I hope you don’t mind if I use it for an article I’m doing. It’s the best I’ve found so far.
Stay well, and I hope to see more translations of Faiz.
Best,
Dileep
June 11, 2008 at 2:53 pm
Thanks! Dileep. Please go ahead and use it just credit me for the translation and i’d like to read your article if possible…
June 28, 2008 at 6:01 am
hi thanks for the invite .. to your blog.. I am neither a poet nor have read much poetry in my life ..but love to read poems that friends write on day to day life.. as all great poets really did that anyway..before they became great.. and mostly they became great after they left this world which is the way the world works.. most wonderful things and people are recognised much after they have gone.. humanity only learns in hindsight..it was a pleasure going through some of thepoems on your blog..please keep me posted..regards ash
June 28, 2008 at 6:07 am
Thanks! Ashraf, for visiting… please come again.
August 20, 2008 at 4:07 am
Salaamz…
This poem came as a ray of light in my life that has lost all hope…
Allah Hafiz…!!!
August 20, 2008 at 9:55 am
So shines the humanist poetry of Faiz.
J. Keep it up, friend!
Khuda Haafiz!
October 13, 2008 at 10:22 pm
Beautiful translation!
I was never into poetry but your blog has given given a new insight!! Your selection of poems is incredible. I am a regular visitor now and really look forward to reading new postings on your blog. Keep writing!!
October 19, 2008 at 2:36 pm
congratulations Ghazala! it was a great feeling to see ur incredible work! somehow i had come across both the original version and its translation but never knew that its u behind this bridge…..plz carry on! gudluck!
October 20, 2008 at 9:56 am
ritu, seema… i’m honoured. I do it only because it really is such a soul-tonic!
thanks so much.
December 11, 2008 at 7:40 pm
Hi Ghazala:
Great translation.
and this is one of my fav Faiz poems..
‘Ghazal’ is my blog name too
after ‘Yeh haath salamat hai jab tak,’..and ‘Sab aatl hoke, tere muqaabil’
I’m sure you’ve heard Nayyara Noor and Farida Khanum sahiba’s great renditions of the same.
Also, may I add a link to your blog..
Thanks and Peace,
L
December 14, 2008 at 8:55 pm
Hi! Lehar,
thanks! Please do link up my blog
Peace…
December 25, 2008 at 1:06 pm
I’ll appreciate if you can provide a Urdu text of this poem, i have searched it on Google but no success…great work anyways
March 31, 2009 at 5:19 pm
hey well done. I love to read & listen this ghazal; both Faiz Ahmed Faiz & Iqbal Bano are legends.
April 22, 2009 at 6:18 am
[...] a lengthy tribute at Pakistaniat. The (romanized) text, with inevitably unjust translation, are here. I don’t have any particular belief in an afterlife, but I’d like to think of Bano [...]
April 23, 2009 at 3:30 am
Nivedita Menon said
on April 22, 2009 at 4:18 PM
http://kafila.org/2009/04/22/iqbal-bano-1935-2009/#comment-5638
[...] looked for translations of Hum Dekhenge on the web, for those who do not understand Urdu, and found two by Ghazala and Maniza Naqvi, on whose translations I based my version [...]
April 23, 2009 at 8:46 am
Very nice translation Ghazala. I hope you won’t mind if I use it for a post on my blog page on RediffIland about Iqbal Bano.
April 23, 2009 at 7:52 pm
Not at all, Nadira. Please go ahead… and thanks!
April 23, 2009 at 10:08 am
hey ghazala…a frnd introduced me 2 ur blog n now i m jus hooked! was never much into poetry n especially not urdu, but ur selections of poems and their translations have just opened up a whole new world for me….also love ur descriptions of places…puts me rite ther in tht place visualise n experience it….
went thru ur blog at a time wen i was losing hope abt a lotta things, n m happy 2 find solace in these words n kno ther r more ppl hum bhi dekhenge woh din…
in solidarity..
smita.
April 23, 2009 at 7:57 pm
Smita… just so humbled by your comment… thanks… i’m glad that you feel this way… blogging has been completely therapeutic for me as well. do continue to visit and feel free to leave your reflections in the comment box. you (readers like you) are my shining light.
April 25, 2009 at 3:07 pm
i luv this poetry so meaningful
i luv da translation
May 16, 2009 at 4:17 pm
[...] English translation from http://ghazala.wordpress.com/2008/01/08/hum-dekhenge/ [...]
September 28, 2009 at 3:36 pm
I had been looking for a translation of ‘AnalhaQ’ and found this site.
I will visit again for more of Faiz poetry.
Thanks!
September 29, 2009 at 5:03 am
welcome chhaya… will try to delve more on Faiz
October 4, 2009 at 7:13 pm
hello dere, really beautiful translation.
I have used your translation on my blog http://my.opera.com/Changing_woman/blog/2009/04/24/iqbal-bano as I couldn’t find any better translation..however I have mentioned your blog and gave links to your original work…do you mind?
October 4, 2009 at 7:36 pm
Thanks, Ayesha… mind? not at all!
please visit again.
November 10, 2009 at 4:30 pm
this is beautiful…..this ghazal has always touched me but this is the first time someone has helped me understand it fully…thanks
November 12, 2009 at 7:39 am
thanks pallavi, you might be interested in another post on the blog http://ghazala.wordpress.com/2008/07/16/sounds-of-resistance-and-freedom/