Mehfil-e-Rashid محفلِ رشید
GHAZAL XII

One for the Road

جاتے جاتے

Jāte Jāte

پنجابی 0:00 / 0:00

The Story

Nobody ever got out of a room he was in on the first attempt.

There was always a joke, a story or a pun. One for the road. That is the whole poem, and the phrase is doing more work than it looks. One for the road is what you say about a last drink, a small provision handed to somebody about to go out into the dark. He used it for jokes. The offering at the door was not a drink. It was a laugh, given to a person who was leaving, to carry with them.

So the shape of the evening was always the same. The talk would wind down, somebody would stand up, and that was precisely the moment the good material arrived. The doorway was not where the gathering ended. It was where it got interesting.

There is a serious idea inside the habit, and it is the reason this is a ghazal rather than an anecdote. An evening does not end on its own. Somebody has to end it, and he never would. Every hour held back from the ending is an hour that gets lived rather than spent, so the man reaching for the door was not being detained; he was being given more of his own life. That is the argument the poem makes, and it is why the joke at the door is not merely charm.

And then the word road turns over. He gave a hundred of these to people going home, and then he took the road himself, and nobody was at the door to stop him.

  1. He never let a coat get as far as the door, one for the road;
    and always a joke, a pun, a story in store, one for the road.

    خالی ہاتھ کسی کو نہ بھیجا، اِک بات، جاتے جاتے
    لطیفہ، قصّہ، جگت: ڈھلتی نہ رات، جاتے جاتے

    khālī hāth kisī ko na bhejā, ik bāt, jāte jāte
    lateefa, qissa, jugat: ḍhaltī na rāt, jāte jāte

    He sent nobody away empty-handed, always one last thing said; a joke, a story, a pun, and the night refused to wane, as you were leaving.

    خالی ہتھ کِسے نوں نہ توریا، اِک بات، جاندے جاندے
    لطیفہ، قِصّہ، جُگت: مُکدی نہ رات، جاندے جاندے

    ਖ਼ਾਲੀ ਹੱਥ ਕਿਸੇ ਨੂੰ ਨਾ ਤੋਰਿਆ, ਇਕ ਬਾਤ, ਜਾਂਦੇ ਜਾਂਦੇ
    ਲਤੀਫ਼ਾ, ਕਿੱਸਾ, ਜੁਗਤ: ਮੁੱਕਦੀ ਨਾ ਰਾਤ, ਜਾਂਦੇ ਜਾਂਦੇ

    khālī hatth kise nu na toryā, ik bāt, jānde jānde
    lateefa, qissa, jugat: mukkdī nā rāt, jānde jānde

    He never sent anybody off empty-handed, always one last thing said; a joke, a story, a pun, and the night would not end, as you were leaving.

  2. Whoever stood to leave was handed a fresh tale;
    the best of the evening arrived as an encore, one for the road.

    جو اُٹھتا، اُس کو مِلتا نیا افسانہ
    اور در ہی پہ ہوتی لمبی ملاقات، جاتے جاتے

    jo uṭhtā, us ko miltā nayā afsāna
    aur dar hī pe hotī lambī mulāqāt, jāte jāte

    Whoever rose got a new story for his trouble; and the long meeting happened at the door itself, as you were leaving.

    جو اُٹھ کھڑدا، اوہدے لئی اِک نویں گل
    تے در تے ای ہُندی سی لمّی ملاقات، جاندے جاندے

    ਜੋ ਉੱਠ ਖੜਦਾ, ਓਹਦੇ ਲਈ ਇਕ ਨਵੀਂ ਗੱਲ
    ਤੇ ਦਰ ਤੇ ਈ ਹੁੰਦੀ ਸੀ ਲੰਮੀ ਮੁਲਾਕਾਤ, ਜਾਂਦੇ ਜਾਂਦੇ

    jo uṭh khaṛdā, ohde laī ik nawīṅ gall
    te dar te ee hundī si lammī mulāqāt, jānde jānde

    Whoever stood up to go had a new story waiting for him; and the longest meeting of all happened at the door, as you were leaving.

  3. An evening never ends; somebody has to end it,
    and he never learned to say the words "no more", one for the road.

    شام ختم نہیں ہوتی، کوئی کرتا ہے
    اور بس کہہ دینا نہ تھا اُن کی ذات، جاتے جاتے

    shām khatm nahīṅ hotī, koī kartā hai
    aur bas kah denā na thā un kī zāt, jāte jāte

    An evening does not end; somebody ends it. And saying enough was not in his nature, as you were leaving.

    شام مُکدی نہیں، کوئی مُکاؤندا اے
    تے بس کہِنا نہ سی اُنہاں دی ذات، جاندے جاندے

    ਸ਼ਾਮ ਮੁੱਕਦੀ ਨਹੀਂ, ਕੋਈ ਮੁਕਾਉਂਦਾ ਏ
    ਤੇ ਬੱਸ ਕਹਿਣਾ ਨਾ ਸੀ ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਦੀ ਜ਼ਾਤ, ਜਾਂਦੇ ਜਾਂਦੇ

    shām mukkdī nahīṅ, koī mukāundā ae
    te bas kahinā nā si unhāṅ dī zāt, jānde jānde

    An evening does not end; somebody ends it. And saying enough was not in his nature, as you were leaving.

  4. The clock was in the room; nobody looked at it,
    an hour held back is an hour not lived before, one for the road.

    گھڑی کمرے میں تھی، پر کس نے دیکھی
    بڑھی ہوئی ہر شام، تھوڑی سی حیات، جاتے جاتے

    ghaṛī kamre meṅ thī, par kis ne dekhī
    baṛhī huī har shām, thoṛī sī hayāt, jāte jāte

    The clock was in the room, but who ever looked at it; every evening stretched is a little more life, as you were leaving.

    گھڑی کمرے وچ سی، کِسے نہ ویکھی
    وَدھی ہوئی ہر شام، تھوڑی ہور حیات، جاندے جاندے

    ਘੜੀ ਕਮਰੇ ਵਿਚ ਸੀ, ਕਿਸੇ ਨਾ ਵੇਖੀ
    ਵਧੀ ਹੋਈ ਹਰ ਸ਼ਾਮ, ਥੋੜੀ ਹੋਰ ਹਯਾਤ, ਜਾਂਦੇ ਜਾਂਦੇ

    ghaṛī kamre vich si, kise nā vekhī
    vadhī hoī har shām, thoṛī hor hayāt, jānde jānde

    The clock was there in the room, and nobody looked at it; every evening stretched a little longer is a little more life, as you were leaving.

  5. He came for an hour and was still there at dawn,
    not knowing he carried home forty years of lore, one for the road.

    گھڑی بھر کا مہمان تھا، سویرے تک
    اُسے خبر نہ تھی: عمر بھر کی سوغات، جاتے جاتے

    ghaṛī bhar kā mehmān thā, savere tak
    use khabar na thī: umr bhar kī saughāt, jāte jāte

    A guest for an hour, and there till daybreak; he had no idea of it, a gift to last a lifetime, as he was leaving.

    گھڑی بھر دا مہمان سی، سویرے تک
    پتہ نہیں سی: عمر بھر دی سوغات، جاندے جاندے

    ਘੜੀ ਭਰ ਦਾ ਮਹਿਮਾਨ ਸੀ, ਸਵੇਰੇ ਤਕ
    ਪਤਾ ਨਹੀਂ ਸੀ: ਉਮਰ ਭਰ ਦੀ ਸੌਗਾਤ, ਜਾਂਦੇ ਜਾਂਦੇ

    ghaṛī bhar dā mehmān si, savere tak
    patā nahīṅ si: umar bhar dī saughāt, jānde jānde

    A guest for an hour, and still there at daybreak; he had no idea what he was carrying home, a gift to last a lifetime, as he was leaving.

  6. The same story, third time, and nobody said so,
    hearing it again is love, and never a chore, one for the road.

    وہی کہانی، تیسری بار، اور ہم چُپ
    پھر سے سُننا بھی محبت کے حالات، جاتے جاتے

    wohī kahānī, tīsrī bār, aur ham chup
    phir se sunanā bhī muhabbat ke hālāt, jāte jāte

    The same story, a third time, and we said nothing; to hear it again is also one of love's conditions, as you were leaving.

    اوہو گل، تیجے واری، تے اسِیں چُپ
    تے مُڑ سُنّ لَیݨا وی پیار دے حالات، جاندے جاندے

    ਓਹੋ ਗੱਲ, ਤੀਜੇ ਵਾਰੀ, ਤੇ ਅਸੀਂ ਚੁੱਪ
    ਤੇ ਮੁੜ ਸੁਣ ਲੈਣਾ ਵੀ ਪਿਆਰ ਦੇ ਹਾਲਾਤ, ਜਾਂਦੇ ਜਾਂਦੇ

    oho gall, tīje vārī, te asīṅ chupp
    te muṛ sunn laiṇā vī pyār de hālāt, jānde jānde

    The same story, the third time round, and we said nothing; hearing a thing again is one of the conditions of love, as you were leaving.

  7. You don't send anyone into the dark with nothing;
    the last laugh is provisions, and he knew the score, one for the road.

    اندھیرے میں کوئی خالی نہ جائے
    اور بس یہی تھی اِک ہنسی کی خیرات، جاتے جاتے

    andhere meṅ koī khālī na jāye
    aur bas yahī thī ik haṅsī kī khairāt, jāte jāte

    Let nobody go into the dark with nothing; and this was all of it, the alms of one laugh, as you were leaving.

    ہنیرے وچ کوئی خالی نہ جاوے
    تے ایہی سی ہاسے دی نِکّی خیرات، جاندے جاندے

    ਹਨੇਰੇ ਵਿਚ ਕੋਈ ਖ਼ਾਲੀ ਨਾ ਜਾਵੇ
    ਤੇ ਏਹੀ ਸੀ ਹਾਸੇ ਦੀ ਨਿੱਕੀ ਖ਼ੈਰਾਤ, ਜਾਂਦੇ ਜਾਂਦੇ

    hanere vich koī khālī nā jāve
    te ehī si hāsse dī nikkī khairāt, jānde jānde

    Let nobody go out into the dark with empty hands; and that was it, the small alms of a laugh, as you were leaving.

  8. Nobody stops you at the door now, Imran;
    he took that road himself, and left us the floor, one for the road.

    اب در پہ کوئی نہیں روکتا، عمران
    وہ ہمیں دے گئے اپنے سب لمحات، جاتے جاتے

    ab dar pe koī nahīṅ roktā, Imrān
    wo hameṅ de gaye apne sab lamhāt, jāte jāte

    Nobody stops you at the door any more, Imran; he left us every one of his hours, as he was going.

    ہُݨ در تے کوئی نہ روکے، عمرانا
    اوہ آپ ای تُر گئے، دے کے آخری دات، جاندے جاندے

    ਹੁਣ ਦਰ ਤੇ ਕੋਈ ਨਾ ਰੋਕੇ, ਇਮਰਾਨਾ
    ਓਹ ਆਪ ਈ ਤੁਰ ਗਏ, ਦੇ ਕੇ ਆਖ਼ਰੀ ਦਾਤ, ਜਾਂਦੇ ਜਾਂਦੇ

    hun dar te koī nā roke, Imrānā
    oh āp ee turr gaye, de ke ākhrī dāt, jānde jānde

    Nobody stops you at the door any more, Imran; he took the road himself, handing over the last gift, as he was leaving.