Complete version of the tarana by the Lahore-based poet Jagan Nath Azad, who was asked by Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah to write Pakistan’s first anthem (see ‘Bring back Jagganath Azad’s Pakistan anthem‘). Thanks to his son Chander K. Azad in Jammu for sending the complete naz’m.
Jagan Nath Azad's Pakistan 'Tarana' - courtesy his son Chandar K. Azad in Jammu and daughter Promilla Taylor in the UK. (Thanks to Tanveer Sheikh for the jpeg conversion)
Transliteration and translation follow, by people who are coincidentally both Lahoris too, like Azad
Aye sar zameen-i-Pak (transliteration by Asad Jamal)
Zare tere hain aaj sitaron se tabnak
Roshan hai kehkashan se kahin aaj teri khak
Tundi-e-hasdan pe ghalib hai tera swaak
Daman wo sil gaya hai jo tha mudaton se chaak
Aye sar zameen-i-Pak!
Ab apne azm ko hai naya rasta pasand
Apna watan hai aaj zamane main sar buland
Pohncha sake ga is ko na koi bhi ab gazand
Apna alm a hai chand sitaron se bhi buland
Ab ham ko dekhtey hain atarad hon ya samaak
Aye sar zameen-i-Pak!
Utra hai imtehan main watan aaj kamyab
Ab huriat ki zulf nahin mahiv-e-paich-o-taab
Daulat hai apne mulk ki be had-o-be hisaab
Hon ge ham aap mulk ki daulat se faiz yab
Maghrib se hum ko khauf na mashriq se hum ko baak
Aye sar zameen-i-Pak!
Apne watan ka aaj badalne laga nizam
apne watan main aaj nahin hai koi ghulam
apna watan hai rah-e-taraqi pe tez gam
azad, bamurad jawan bakht shad kaam
ab itr bez hain jo hawain thin zehr naak
Aye sar zameen-i-Pak!
Zare tere hain aaj sitaron se tabnak
Roshan hai kehkashan se kahin aaj teri khak
Aye sar zameen-i-Pak!
O, Land of the Pure (translated by Shoaib Mir)
O, Land of the Pure
The grains of your soil are glowing today
Brighter than the stars and the galaxy
Awe-struck is the enemy by your will-power
Open wounds are sewn, we’ve found a cure
O, Land of the Pure…
New paths of progress, we resolve to tread
Proudly, our nation stands with a high head
Our flag is aflutter above the moon and the stars
As planets look up to us be it Mercury or Mars
No harm will now come from anywhere, for sure
O, Land of the Pure…
The nation has tasted success at last
Now freedom struggle is a thing of the past
The wealth of our country knows no bounds
For us are its benefits and bounty all around
Of East and West, we have no fear
O, Land of the Pure…
Change has become the order of the day
No-one is a slave in the nation today
On the road to progress, we’re swiftly going along
Independent and fortunate, happy as a song
Gloomy winds are gone, sweet freedom’s in the air
O, Land of the Pure…
The grains of your soil are glowing today
Brighter than the stars and the Milky Way
Translator’s Note: I feel privileged to have translated this historic document that I suspect is not even part of our national archives. It’s as if I have forged a personal link with the Quaid e Azam! Not literal, my translation – certainly not the best one can have – is an honest attempt to capture the spirit of the original text which is in rich Urdu/Persian idiom. I thought it was necessary to use my creative license to rhyme in order to match the beauty and grandeur of the original text the best I could — Shoaib Mir.
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