Taj Mahal
Here’s a translation of one of Sahir’s most famous work, ‘Taj Mahal’. I will be posting this nazm in Roman Urdu as well very soon and the link will be provided in this post (Post Edit: Click here for Urdu version). In the mean time, please enjoy an english translation of this nazm. Translation by K.C. Kanda, appeared in “Masterpieces of Urdu Nazm”, Sterling Paperbacks, published by Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi. ISBN 81 207 1952 2, Reprint 1998, 2000.
Taj Mahal
The Taj, mayhap, to you may seem, a mark of love supreme
You may hold this beauteous vale in great esteem;
Yet, my love, meet me hence at some other place!
How odd for the poor folk to frequent royal resorts;
‘Tis strange that the amorous souls should tread the regal paths
Trodden once by mighty kings and their proud consorts.
Behind the facade of love my dear, you had better seen,
The marks of imperial might that herein lie screen’d
You who take delight in tombs of kings deceased,
Should have seen the hutments dark where you and I did wean.
Countless men in this world must have loved and gone,
Who would say their loves weren’t truthful or strong?
But in the name of their loves, no memorial is raised
For they too, like you and me, belonged to the common throng.
These structures and sepulchres, these ramparts and forts,
These relics of the mighty dead are, in fact, no more
Than the cancerous tumours on the face of earth,
Fattened on our ancestor’s very blood and bones.
They too must have loved, my love, whose hands had made,
This marble monument, nicely chiselled and shaped
But their dear ones lived and died, unhonoured, unknown,
None burnt even a taper on their lowly graves.
This bank of Jamuna, this edifice, these groves and lawns,
These carved walls and doors, arches and alcoves,
An emperor on the strength of wealth, Has played with us a cruel joke.
Meet me hence, my love, at some other place.
Shukriya sahir.fanatic for the translation of this very powerful nazm.
dil se,
Simi
November 1st, 2006 | #
Your welcome Simran ji
alas, I didn’t translate it… wish I had.. but glad i didn’t, wouldn’t be able to do justice to the poem if I had!
November 3rd, 2006 | #
Look forward to seeing the original in urdu here.
K.C. Kanda’s translations do indeed fill a huge void. Though I think there is scope to bring these verses into more ‘modern English poetry’ language…
November 3rd, 2006 | #
Hi Siyaah,
the Roman Urdu version has now been posted
I do have another translation of the nazm which is more of a normal English, or modern English rather than the way K.C. Kanda translated it, but I don’t know the source of where I got it from and hence I won’t be posting it here if I can’t give due credits 
If you are interested, contact me by email and I’ll send it to you.
November 5th, 2006 | #
i liked this website. it is differnet real romantic
November 11th, 2006 | #
Hi I amnot, rather wasnot , a Sahir fan or anything. A few days back I just happened to remember a song I had just once seen on tv ( the days of DD) and heardmaybe a couple mor times on radio…this was say 13/ 14 years back and i just started lookingfor it now cause it started haunting me. the song is tum apna ranjogham.I found it and while searching for it i found this Sahir site was reading the English translations and others. I read this Taj Maha oem just now . I AM SPEECHLESS. I have 0 fascination for it and never understood why people are so impressed with that as a love monument. It is just money and show and power.Few agree with me and Sahir is one of them and how beautifully he has put what I so strongly feel .Thank you for this site and thank God for such a poet with such heavenly poetry.
December 27th, 2006 | #
beautiful. cannot replace a word for another. perfect. kudos
May 30th, 2007 | #
i dont know whats with taj that its a hit any which way ,be it a monument or as a poem though its condemned here in verse ;but very beautifully condemned .I really enjoyed reading this poem and i m sure will enjoy my visit to taj someday inshallah.I happened to visit this site as i was looking for Mr.ludhianvis poetry as i m intrested in urdu poetry.My favourite poets are other than Sahir but i like Mr.ludhianvis work too . Looking for a poem by Mr.ludhianvi which goes somewhat like this “Khuda e bartar teri zameen par zameen ki khatir yeh jung kyun hai” though i have it in bits and peices but would like to read it as a whole poem .So if its possible please do post it here.And lastly this site is cool keep up the good work! Chao.
June 19th, 2007 | #
Asra,
aadaab,
I have that poem that you mentionned and will post it as soon as time permits. Thanks for visiting and keep visiting the site.
Regards,
Amit Malhotra
June 19th, 2007 | #
Amit thank you for your response .I really appreciate it .And inshallah I ll be visiting this site often .I have this site in my favourites list now. Keep up the good work and dont let complacency creep in.I wish you all the best .And i hope that there will be more sites like this that will bring the urdu literature more so the urdu poetry to the masses.Bye!
June 20th, 2007 | #
Hi Asra,
I have posted that song today. Enjoy!
Regards,
Amit
June 21st, 2007 | #
Thanks amit .Its the first thing i saw today on the website .Thank you once again and all the best.
June 23rd, 2007 | #
June 23rd, 2007 | #
Amit, when was the original poem “Taj Mahal” published?
August 8th, 2007 | #
As far as I know, his poem Taj Mahal was in his first book ‘talKhiyaaN’ which was published in 1945. I’m not sure, or in other words, I’m not aware if this particular nazm was published before the book as a seperate entity. Hope this answers your questions.
Regards,
Amit Malhotra
August 8th, 2007 | #
Excellent job of transliteration! I cannot wait for the original in Urdu script. One word eludes me and I ask for your help: Seena dhar ke nasoor hain …..nasoor. What exactly is the missing word–and its meaning. From the transliteration it seems to mean “the earth.” Your help will be appreciated. Keep up the good work. All the best…..Beekay.
April 6th, 2008 | #
Beekay sahib, I replied to your other query in the urdu version of Taaj Mahal… hope that helps.
Regards
Amit Malhotra
April 17th, 2008 | #