the wrath of water i & ii
- “Rau mein hai rakhsh-e-umar kahaaN dekhiye thamey
- Na haath baag par hai na pa hai rakaab mein
- (Age travels at galloping pace; who knows where it will stop
- We do not have the reins in our hands nor our feet in the stirrups).”
- Asadullah Khan Ghalib - translated by Khushwant Singh
i
kis say gila karaiN, yeh kiya maajra hay
yeh roshinouN ka shehr, shehr e khamoshaan hay
sukoot buland minarouN ki sada say toot ta hay
aur zinda lashaiN, bay awaaz
bay maqsad, sarkaiN naapti haiN
oofak kay par matlaashi aankhaiN
fasurdagi aur naummeedi maiN gharq
siskioun aur shikwon kay bojh talay
ilzamoun ki aah o fugaan maiN
kisi madfun junnat ki talash may haiN
complain? bemoan? sigh?
the city of lights has turned taciturn
silence cascades from under the minarets
the walking dead, doleful and diffident
wander aimlessly
gazing at distant horizon
through prisms of regret and hopelessness
anchored by unreleased sighs, queries
and inaudible allegations
for a disappeared shangri-la
kub fitrat, ya qudrat nay suni hay
zinda laashouN ki faryad bataiyay
ii
when has nature answered
the call of the living dead?
door ik basti maiN
zindagi kay kuch aasaar haiN
oonki sarsarati siskiyoun maiN
kuch gila hay, kuch faryad hay
aur aisa mehsoos hota hay
kay natwaaN ummeed ki devi maiN
abhi zindagi ki kasak baqi hay
in some far off town
some people are still alive
and their barely discernible sighs
reverberate with yearnings
carried over here by gusts of wind
their leaden hope
still flickers with signs of life
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