A Selection of Urdu Poetry

(Translations)

Profile
Bilal Tanweer completed his undergraduate degree in Social Sciences and Humanities from Lahore
University of Management Sciences (LUMS) in 2006. His poetry and fiction have appeared in Pakistan
Academy of Letters Pakistani Literature: 60 years of Pakistani poetry and in Alhamra Literary Review.
He worked as a journalist for The News on Sunday for a year. His writings on literature and politics are
regularly featured in Pakistani newspapers. At present he is on a Fulbright Scholarship pursuing an MFA
degree in fiction writing at Columbia University, New York.

Contents

Poem

Page

1. Quatrain by Faiz Ahmed Faiz

2. Leave a few things remain unsaid by Munir Niazi

3. A prison evening by FaizAhmed Faiz

4. Affecton by Parveen Shakir

5. Memory by Faiz Ahmed Faiz

6. Dance by Habib Jalib

7. Quatrain by Faiz Ahmed Faiz

10

8. Overture by N. M. Rashed

11

9. A prayer, I had forgotten by Munir Niazi

14

10. Quatrain by Faiz Ahmed Faiz

15

11. When in your ocean eyes by Faiz Ahmed Faiz

16

- 1-

(Title of the Poem: -Poet: Faiz Ahmed Faiz

Title of the Book: dast-e sab
Title of the Collection: kalm-e Faiz
Place of publication: Aligarh
Publisher's name: Educational Book House
Year of publication: 1994
Page # - Book: 9
Page # - Collection: 89)

Quatrain
By Faiz Ahmed Faiz

Why grieve when the pen and tablet are seized

For I have immersed my fingers in blood

No loss if my tongue is sealed

In each link of my chains I have left a tongue

- 2-

(Title of the Poem: kuh bte an-kah rehne do,

Poet: Munir Niazi
Title of the Book: he rangn darwze
Title of the Collection: kullyt-e Munr
Place of publication: Lahore
Publisher's name: Khazeena-e ilm-o adab
Year of publication: 2002
Page # - Book: 35
Page # - Collection: --)

Leave a few things remain unsaid

By Munir Niazi

Leave a few things remain unsaid

Leave a few things remain unheard

What shall be left if all is said?

What shall be left if all is heard?

Leave a bough heavy, unbloomed

On a colorful, uncreated world
Leave a window unopen, closed

- 3-

(Title of the Poem: zind k ek shm

Poet: Faiz Ahmed Faiz
Title of the Book: dast-e sab
Title of the Collection: kalm-e Faiz
Place of publication: Aligarh
Publisher's name: Educational Book House
Year of publication: 1994
Page # - Book: 73
Page # - Collection: 153)

A prison evening
By Faiz Ahmed Faiz

Behind the evenings web of entangled stars

steps down the night, stair by stair
and the breeze passes nigh
like someones whispers of love.

The homeless trees of the prison-court,

heads-bowed, are absorbed:
embroidering on the skys skirt

And over the roofs shoulder slides

- 4-

moonshines loving fingers

Stars ebb has dissolved into dust;

Skys bluewaters have melted into lights

Azure shadows along the green edges of the sky

sway like the rolling waves of loves painful longings
*
Incessant this thought in my heart:
So luscious is life this moment that
those dispelling tyrannys poison shall
prevail neither here nor there

Ah, and even if the enemies of light

douse the torches on loves site, why bother?
Let them find in them to snuff out the moon!

- 5-

(Title of the Poem: piyr,

Poet: Parveen Shakir
Title of the Book: ush-b
Title of the Collection: mh-e tamm (kullyt)
Place of publication: Islamabad
Publisher's name: Murad Publications
Year of publication: 1996
Page # - Book: 33
Page # - Collection: --)

Affection
By Parveen Shakir

Springs cloud held the flower

in its palms and
kissed its face
in such a way that all its tears
poured out as fragrance

- 6-

(Title of the Poem: yd

Poet: Faiz Ahmed Faiz
Title of the Book: dast-e sab
Title of the Collection: kalm-e Faiz
Place of publication: Aligarh
Publisher's name: Educational Book House
Year of publication: 1994
Page # - Book: 78
Page # - Collection: 158)

Memory
By Faiz Ahmed Faiz

In the wilderness of solitude, O dear one,

echo, the shadows of your voice
the mirages of your lips

In the wilderness of solitude

among the dusty desiccated steps of distance,
bloom, the fruit and roses of your arms

Ah, from nearness rises,

smoldered in its own scents,
- 7-

the warmth of your breath, soft and faint

And far upon the horizons sparkle, drop by drop,

the falling dewdrops of your dear glance

With such tenderness, dearest,

your memorys palm touches my hearts visage
that although it is the morn of separation
I veer to think it is the night of union, already

- 8-

(Title of the Poem: raq-e zanjr (gt)

Poet: Habib Jalib
Title of the Book: kulliyt-e Habb Jlib
Place of publication: Lahore
Publisher's name: Al-Hamd Publications
Year of publication: 1996
Page #: 13-14)

Dance of the Chains

By Habib Jalib

You, oh unbeknown to you,

the etiquettes of slavery:
You can dance, even in chains

Rebel woman! Today on the execution grounds,

the executioner demands that you shall exhibit deaths dance:
And for the world, you shall be whipped to dance

Thus is the manner tyrannys tribute is paid

and you can dance even in chains

- 9-

Dare! Lift those feet! Dont plead or bow!

What others shall do morrow, you must do now:
Dance for freedom, dance till death

For the limit of love is living by deaths

And you can dance even in chains

- 10-

(Title of the Poem: yah se shahr ko dekho

Poet: Faiz Ahmed Faiz
Title of the Book: sar-e wd-e sn
Title of the Collection: nuskh he waf
Place of publication: Lahore
Publisher's name: Maktaba-e Kaarvan
Year of publication: N/A
Page # - Book: 29-30
Page # - Collection: 399-400)

Quatrain (Excerpt)
By Faiz Ahmed Faiz

Those shadows echoing around the lamps in the distance:

Who knows if these are assemblies of pain or
gatherings of wine and drink

Those scattered colors on every wall, every door:

The distance doesnt divulge
if these are petals or blood

- 11-

(Title of the Poem: taaruf

Poet: N. M. Rashid
Title of the Book: l = insn
Title of the Collection: kulliyt-e Rashid
Place of publication: Lahore
Publisher's name: Maavra
Year of publication: N/A
Page # - Book: -Page # - Collection: 295-296)

Overture
By N. M. Rashid

Aye Death,
Here, meet these people,
Artless people

People
Not of the book
nor of wine

People
Not of letters

- 12-

nor of numbers

Nor the letters

People
Not of books
nor of machines

Not of space
nor of world

People of doubt

Death, do not veil yourself!

Death, meet these people!
*
Step up! You all as well!
Greet Death!
- 13-

Step up with your acts of beggary

Step up dont hide your bowls for mercy
You all have nothing left to say for life
Laugh of Death! Laugh with Death!
Step up! You people of the world,
Step up! People of possession!

Death, all these men are negatives

Greater negatives, lesser men
Upon them look with favor!

- 14-

(Title of the Poem: ek du jo me bhl gay th

Poet: Munir Niazi
Title of the Book: ek du jo me bhl gay th
Title of the Collection: kullyt-e Munr
Place of publication: Lahore
Publisher's name: Khazeena-e Ilm-o Adab
Year of publication: 2002
Page #- Book: 9
Page # - Collection: --)

A prayer, I had forgotten

By Munir Niazi

O Bird of Joy
Come to my abode, Fly!
Fly away from some tree

With your cry of joy

Joyous let my house be

Let the sorrowed city watch us

With joy and glee

- 15-

(Title of the Poem: -Poet: Faiz Ahmed Faiz

Title of the Book: dast-e tah-e sag
Title of the Collection: kalm-e Faiz
Place of publication: Aligarh
Publisher's name: Educational Book House
Year of publication: 1994
Page # - Book: 36
Page # - Collection: 292)

Quatrain
By Faiz Ahmed Faiz

No sight, no word
Nothing now, said or heard
Not even some deception for comfort
And the longing is stretched:

Beloveds yearning, the eagerness of sight, the color of pain

Lets keep silent tonight, for the heart is sad

- 16-

(Title of the Poem: jab ter samandar kho me (gt)

Poet: Faiz Ahmed Faiz
Title of the Book: dast-e tah-e sag
Title of the Collection: kalm-e Faiz
Place of publication: Aligarh
Publisher's name: Educational Book House
Year of publication: 1994
Page # - Book: 65-66
Page # - Collection: 321-322)

When in your ocean eyes

By Faiz Ahmed Faiz

This shore of sunlight on

The slopes of evening,
This meeting of times:
Not day nor night
Not today nor tomorrow
In a moment eternal, in a moment fume

Moments on this shore of light

The spark of lips
The clink of arms
- 17-

Our intimacies,
Not lies not truths

Why should I secret this, why should I blame?

For what should I lie:

When in your ocean eyes

This evenings sun shall set

The home shall find its sleep

And the traveler will walk his way

- 18-