Na kisi ki aankh ka noor hoon

Came across a beautiful ghazal attributed to Bahadur Shah Zafar (might have been written by somebody else). Apparently written by him during his exile. It has been sung by various singers, I liked the one by Habib Wali Mohammad the best.



Na kisi ki aankh ka noor hoon, na kisi ke dil ka qaraar hoon
Jo kisi ke kaam na aa sake, mein vo ek musht-e-gubaar hoon

Mein nahin hoon naghamaa-e-jaan feza, koi sun ke mujhko karega kya
Mein bade bikrog ki hoon sadaa, mein bade dukhon ki pukaar hoon
(sung as: kisi dil-jale ki pukaar hoon)

Mera rang roop bigad gaya, mera yaar mujhse bichad gaya
Jo chaman khizan se ujad gaya, mein usi ki fasl-e-bahaar hoon

Na to mein kisi ka habeeb hoon, na to mein kisi raqib hoon
Jo bigad gaya vo naseeb hoon, jo ujad gaya vo dayaar hoon

Pae faatihaa koi aaye kyon, koi chaar phool chadhaaye kyon
Koi aake shamaa jalaae kyon, mein vo bekasi kaa mazhaar hoon
(Sung as: 'Zafar' ashq koi bahaaye kyon, ke mein bekasi ka mazaar hoon)

-Bahadur Shah Zafar

It has been translated to English by a Russian student of Urdu poetry, Philip Nikolayev, :).

not the light of any one's eyes,
nor the solace for any one's heart
of no use to anyone,
I am that one fistful of dust

I am not the song infusing life,
why would anyone want to hear me
I am the sound of separation,
I am the wail of much distress

my complexion and beauty is ravaged,
my beloved is parted from me
the garden that got ruined in autumn,
I am the crop of its spring

I am neither anyone's friend,
nor am I anyone's rival
the one that is ruined, I am that fate
the one that is destroyed, that land

why should anyone come to sing a requiem
why should anyone come to offer four flowers
why should anyone come to light a candle
I am the tomb of that destitution