Umr-e-daraz maang ke laye thae chaar din


عمرِ دراز مانگ کے لائے تھے چار دن
دو آرزو میں کٹ گئے، دو انتظار میں
– سیماب اکبر آبادی

Umr-e-daraz maang ke laye thae chaar din
do aarzoo mein kat gaye do intezaar mein
– Seemab Akbarabadi

उम्रे दराज़ माँग के लाये थे चार दिन
दो आरज़ू में कट गये, दो इंतेज़ार में
– सीमाब अक़बराबादी

Meaning of:

Umr-e-darza, उम्रे दराज़, عمرِ دراز: लंबी उम्र, Long life
Arzoo, आरज़ू, آرزو: इच्छा, Desire
Intezaar, इंतेज़ार, انتظار: प्रतीक्षा, Wait

Photo credit: Foter / CC BY-ND

Unlike what is popularly thought, this Sher is by Seemab Akbarabadi, and not by Bahadur Shah Zafar.

Unlike what is popularly thought, this Sher is by Seemab Akbarabadi, and not by Bahadur Shah Zafar.

umr-e-daraz

10 thoughts on “Umr-e-daraz maang ke laye thae chaar din”

    1. I had requested for a long life a life of four days
      Two passed by in praying/wishing, and two in waiting.

    2. I asked for and got a long life (expressed in 4 days)
      But 2 days gone in convincing, cajoling, making you agree and the other 2 days in waiting for you. Way of saying that whole life I yearned for you but did not get you. Beautifully written…english will not do justice to these expressions!

  1. I got 4 days of life
    Where i spent 2 in making desires
    And 2 waiting for those desires to be completed

  2. I had begged with God for four days. But two days are spent in suffering and the two in mere anticipation..

    1. Narayanaswamy, when you translate, you cannot introduce your own words in it. There is no reference to God, or to suffering, in the original.

  3. Umredaraaz… Long life
    Maangke… I had asked for it. The implication of a prayer, asking for it. The implication is that of asking, yearning a long life, in a previous human form.
    Laaye thhe— I brought along… This is what I brought with me, This again implies that one passes from one life afrer life. Chaar deen…. This current time in this body is limited. That time is precious.Do aarxoo mei kat gayye…

  4. Half of that time of 4 is spent in desires.
    Do intezaar mey
    The rest of the limited life time is spent in waiting for the fruits of those desires.
    One simply misses the Current Beauty of Life in this tragedy of most human beings.

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