Lagta Nahi Hai Dil Mera Ujde Dayar Mein - BAHADUR SHAH ZAFAR

Urdu Poetry by Bahadur Shah Zafar (Mughal King)

Ghazal: Lagta Nahi Hai Dil Mera Ujde Dayar Mein
Recitation: Raheel Farooq

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Complete Urdu Ghazal in Roman Transliteration with English Translation

Courtesy: Rekhta

lagtā nahīñ hai dil mirā ujḌe dayār meñ
kis kī banī hai ālam-e-nā-pā.edār meñ

my heart wanders ill at ease / in this ravaged reign
who has found fruition / in transient terrain

in hasratoñ se kah do kahīñ aur jā baseñ
itnī jagah kahāñ hai dil-e-dāġh-dār meñ

tell these woeful wishes to / go elsewhere and remain
this heart has little room as it / is scarred and full of pain

kāñToñ ko mat nikāl chaman se o bāġhbāñ
ye bhī guloñ ke saath pale haiñ bahār meñ

from throwing throns out of the vale, O gardener, abstain
they too grew, along with flowers, during spring's domain

bulbul ko bāġhbāñ se na sayyād se gila
qismat meñ qaid likkhī thī fasl-e-bahār meñ

neither to the groundsman nor / to hunter does complain
for songbird to be caged, in spring, did destiny ordain

kitnā hai bad-nasīb 'zafar' dafn ke liye
do gaz zamīn bhī na milī kū-e-yār meñ

say how ill-starred is 'zafar', that he could not obtain
e'en two yards, to be interred, in his beloved's lane

The opening couplet of the ghazal "lagtā nahīñ hai dil mirā ujḌe dayār meñ" expresses the poet’s alienation in a world that no longer feels like home. His use of the phrase "ujḌe dayār meñ" (in this ravaged reign) points not only to the political devastation of the Mughal dynasty but also to the personal emptiness he feels in the twilight of his life. This sentiment echoes through classical Urdu poetry, where ghazals often reflect a deep sense of impermanence, or nā-pā.edārī—a transient and unstable existence. Zafar's lament that "kis kī banī hai ālam-e-nā-pā.edār meñ" (who has found fruition in transient terrain) could be seen as both an existential observation and a commentary on the fate of empires, particularly his own.

The second couplet carries forward this theme of sorrow, as Zafar speaks directly to his unfulfilled desires: "in hasratoñ se kah do kahīñ aur jā baseñ / itnī jagah kahāñ hai dil-e-dāġh-dār meñ" (tell these woeful wishes to go elsewhere and remain; this heart has little room as it is scarred and full of pain). Here, the heart becomes a vessel overwhelmed by sorrow, a metaphor often used in Urdu shayari (poetry) to depict emotional suffering. The idea of a dāġh-dār (scarred) heart reflects both personal anguish and the metaphorical wounds inflicted by the fall of the empire.

The ghazal takes a philosophical turn in its third couplet: "kāñToñ ko mat nikāl chaman se o bāġhbāñ / ye bhī guloñ ke saath pale haiñ bahār meñ" (from throwing thorns out of the vale, O gardener, abstain; they too grew, along with flowers, during spring's domain). Here, Zafar invokes the traditional imagery of the garden, a staple of Persian and Urdu poetry, to suggest that pain (the thorns) and beauty (the flowers) are inextricably linked. In the same way that thorns are part of the garden, suffering is an inevitable part of life, and in Zafar’s case, part of the larger narrative of a crumbling empire.

This couplet also reflects a deep spiritual and existential realization: suffering and beauty, hardship and joy, are intertwined. By asking the gardener not to remove the thorns, Zafar seems to acknowledge that the pain and suffering he has experienced are as much a part of his life as the moments of peace and prosperity. It is a timeless reflection on the duality of existence, a theme that resonates deeply in classical Urdu ghazal poetry.

The penultimate couplet "bulbul ko bāġhbāñ se na sayyād se gila / qismat meñ qaid likkhī thī fasl-e-bahār meñ" (neither to the groundsman nor to the hunter does complain; for songbird to be caged, in spring, did destiny ordain) once again uses nature as a metaphor. The bulbul (songbird) represents Zafar, a poet whose fate is imprisonment despite the metaphorical "spring" of his earlier life. The couplet reflects his resignation to his destiny, as he recognizes that his suffering and exile were written in the stars, much like the fate of the songbird whose joy in spring was brief and fleeting.

The concluding couplet, "kitnā hai bad-nasīb 'zafar' dafn ke liye / do gaz zamīn bhī na milī kū-e-yār meñ" (say how ill-starred is 'zafar', that he could not obtain even two yards, to be interred, in his beloved's lane) is perhaps one of the most famous lines in Urdu poetry. It encapsulates the ultimate tragedy of Bahadur Shah Zafar’s life. Despite his royal heritage, he laments that even in death, he could not be buried in his homeland, let alone in the lane of his beloved. This reflects both the personal humiliation of his exile and the broader sense of a dynasty that had lost everything—even the right to rest in the soil it once ruled.

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