Excuse me, for yet another translation!

This blog is a beast
as it craves and craves to eat
thought after a poor thought
of my famished mind;
since I’m a person very kind,
I don’t hesitate to feed
it with trans-creations
of the others’ mind
to help it grow
with its greedy ways ..

The Decision

I too gave up

the desire to reach the shore.

I too resigned myself

to the rising tides.

I discarded the crutches of reliance.

I gathered the pieces

of my shattered self.

I stitched my shirt

[which was torn by passion]

from neck to bottom,

because,

I too was a human after all.

How long would I’ve fought

your perpetual indifference

with a handicapped self.

How long would I’ve watered

the arid land

of our relation

with the bucketfuls of my tears.

How long would I’ve blown

to ignite the extinguished coal

of your feelings;

of your passion.

How long would I’ve kept

afresh, the flowers of hope

in the vase of false expectations.

How long would I’ve burnt

my blood instead of oil

in the candles, that I kept lit

in waiting for you.

How long would I’ve searched

my traceless self

like a child,

in the lane of your memories.

I too was a human, after all;

I grew exhausted at last.

I could no longer carry

the burden of formalities

and excessive mannerism

over the feeble shoulders

of endurance;

I couldn’t make the sound

of a clap with a single palm.

I couldn’t won the battle of fate

with the power of mere tact.

Hence, I consulted my heart

and decided at last, that,

(To you be your way,

and to me mine*)

* Sura Alkafirun/ 109:6 of the Holy Quran

Another translation ..

The gifts of Globalization are many, so are its curses like colonization, wars and monopolies but since I’m sick of the wars and violence around, I deemed it appropriate to resort to poetry. Incidentally, the name of the below translated poem is also ‘Globalization’ which thankfully is having a different context.

In this modern age of Globalization

The distances have so shrunk

In a manner,

That these seem unreal

Like a dream,

Or like a mere figment

Of one’s imagination.

People in the world

Have become so close

As those living in a village

Or in a same little house.

But you and I,

The eternal unfortunates,

Are dwelling in the same city

For years,

Without a contact,

Without a relation.

We are so oblivious

Of the whereabouts of each other.

What sort of a cave,

Of the times bygone is that

Wherein we are resting?

Which kind of a season,

Or times we expect

And are waiting for?

Cheeni kum ..

‘Cheeni kum’ a stirring Bollywood flick released a couple of years back was quite an aberration with its unique story line where the 64 yeas old Buddha Dev Gupta (played by Amitabh Bachan) falls in love with a girl 30 years younger his age, Nina Verma (played by Tabbu).

Unlike the headlines of the scarcity of commodities like Flour and Electricity which we’ve grown used to, the recent addition of Sugar to the list of shortages makes one wonder at the aberration since Sugar is something we are self sufficient in producing.

So, where there is ‘Cheeni Kum’ the scenario is a peculiar one

Like A Season Goes By ..

The flowers on your

embroidered dopatta would

remain fresh,

(like the ones I would place

in your locks)

soaked in the midnight rains

of your eyes;

now, sighs, that formed

the thick rain-clouds

are no more to rise

as you trample the wilted

leaves of our blooming love

evoking thoughts

of an autumn that came too soon

P.S: I was taken by a pleasant surprise to see a publication after quite some time.

A heartbreak

I had planned to celebrate an anticipated win with a post here but I was jolted to the reality that wishes aren’t horses and that it takes the nerves of steal, discipline on the field and a Captain who leads by an example to prevail in tough matches like the Champions Trophy Semifinal.

There were a multitude of reasons for our failure, the foremost being our inept middle order led by an under performing captain. Its high time our selectors unearthed gems like Umer Akmal and get rid of mere reputations so that we get rid of the heart breaks that we experience from the failure of our batting lineup on a permanent basis.

I ask you, love, to judge by yourself!

Since I have not been able to write my mind of late, I’ve found it apt to try and translate someone else’, so here ’s another R.K. Majrooh poem that might make to a collection of my translations to be included in his upcoming book of Pushto poetry.

la sta da ishq awo sta da meeney peeryan

ma na kooz shawe na dee

la sta da husn talismi asar na

za rawataley na yem

la me da wasl loogharhana tanda

yawa zara hum mata shawey na da

la me da shauq da lewantob abaseen

kha pa ghorzang rawan de

la me da zrha pa khudadad mumlikat

sta da yadoono raaj de

la da ghwagoono pa gumbad ke zama

sta da painzo awo da bangrho shranga da

la me da stargo da banho pa asman

da speno okhko kehkashan zaleegi

sara da de che pa safar ke da jwand

dasey muqam ta rasedaley yema

charta che da da mayentob khabarey

charta che da da lewantob khabarey

hess ehmiat na laree

hess haisiat na laree

dere sat-hee awo beymanee khkareegi

da qadar warho da qeemati asasey

koota seekey khkareegi

da hosh awo aqal Guantanamo Bay ke

bandey aksar mastey jazbey khkareegi

nu oos insaf pa ta de, waya kana!

che ta zama da lewantob de kaifiat ta aakhir

kom tanazur ke gorey

da taalluq da paidara awo zangarey jazba

ta da maayar pa koma tala taley ..

I’m still haunted

by the ghosts of your love

I’m not yet out of the trance

of your beauty

My lips are still parched

with the thirst of your union

The tides of my passion

still rise with the same ferosity

Your thoughts are still there

to rule over the land of my heart

The music of your anklets and bangles

still chime in my ears

A galaxy of crystalline tears still shines

on the tips of my lashes,

Though I’ve reached a certain place

in the journey of life, where

things like love and passion seem all

but shallow and meaningless;

where all those treasured assets

of the esteemed lovers

feel like useless coins,

like the fervor of love

imprisioned in the Guantanamo Bay

of reason,

yet I ask you, love, to judge by yourself!

How do you look at the state of my ardour?

Whats your criteria to discern

the strength and distinction of

my feelings for you?

Two Hykus In Translation

In Pushto: Rahim Khan Majrooh

1) Ya kha buzdil ya kha ashna de zama

che pa maray zama charha teravee

awo zaroorat mehsoosavi da naqab

He is either a friend or a coward to extreme

While slitting my throat

He feels the need to cover his face

2) za che tarsou na wom panah la kali

ma che har sou warey pa sha okatal

da bam pa sar sra lupata khwazeda

Until I left the proximity of village

Every time I looked back

A red veil fluttered on top of the roof

Eid Mubarak!

Wishing you all a very happy Eid Mubarak, in advance!

The Fabulous Blog Award

How could a one dimensional blog be fabulous? Its not I know, but since Ayesha considered me for the honor of this award, I’d take it gladly. Here it is …

Rules of the Award:

* List five current obsessions.

* Pass the award on to five more fabulous blogs.

* On your post of receiving this award, make sure you include the person that gave you the award and link it back to them.

* When you post your five winners, make sure you link them as well.

* Don’t forget to let your winners know they won an award from you by leaving a comment on their blog.

I’m obsessed with;

Internet: I’ve always been. Its been an immense outlet for an introvert like mine who’s never been consistent in socializing with people in the real physical world. Its role has been immense in shaping my thoughts, stimulating my creative instincts and introducing me to a world I might have never seen without it.

Reading/Writing: I’m frustrated when I don’t find good chunks of time to read books and when I do, I feel very satisfied, very much delighted. I’m very fortunate to breathe in between bouts of killing suffocation when I’m able to write my mind. If I’m asked about the meaning of pure bliss, I won’t hesitate to call it flowing, flawless writing. Yes, I’m talking about poetic expression

Cricket: I’ve mentioned it a few times on this blog, I’m in love with the game of cricket. I follow it enthusiastically; I wish I had a career in cricket but wishes won’t do it coz I betrayed my dreams back in boyhood not to resist my brother who clipped my cricketing wings after the college days.

Vital Signs/JJ: They might be a thing of the past but here is a huge huge fan of em. I’m crazy about the music they produced. I know of almost all the songs they sung. I can’t see anyone surpassing the stature of Junaid Jamshed as a lead singer persona. His vocals had an enchanting feel to it. I like to hum JJ’s songs in solitude.

My nieces and nephew: I wonder what would have attracted me to mardan more, had they not been there. My little children maheen, 5, abeera, 3 and zunaira, 3 are my friends and Hasnain, 4 holds his toy pistol at me like I’m his old time nemesis. I love em all!

Now I’m going to hand the award to;

Alhamdolillah, Aarzoo, Spotlesssoul, Azure, Forsaker

Breaking the ice ..

I was wondering how to break the ice of silence on my blog when BMK suggested these questions to try and answer. Its fun to go about. Hope it will initiate a series of posts to come.

1. Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 18, find line 4. Write down what it says:

‘The story shows how a man can triumph in spite of defeat’ This is a critical notes book on Ernest Hemingway’s ‘The Old Man And The Sea’

2. Stretch your left arm out as far as you can. What do you touch first?

It touches the left partition wall in my office cabin.

3. What is the last thing you watched on TV?

Kashif Abbasi’s talk show on ARY

4. WITHOUT LOOKING, guess what the time is:

12:15 or something

5. Now look at the clock, what is the actual time?

12:02

6. With the exception of the computer, what can you hear?

The whirring of the wall fan besides two office colleagues’ talking

7. When did you last step outside? what were you doing?

I didn’t since I arrived at office.

8. Before you came to this website, what did you look at?

BMK’s bongi khana

9. What are you wearing?

Trousers, half sleeved shirt, tie, shoes

10. Did you dream last night?

I can’t remember; twas a sleep after a hectic day and I barely woke for sehri

11. When did you last laugh?

Last night. I’ve had a good banter with friends after I was probed continuously for the reason of my quite mood.

12. What is on the walls of the room you are in?

There’s a huge wall cabinet on my right, a half glassed partition on my left, a  fan on the front wall and nothing on the back.

13. Seen anything weird lately?

Hmm .. can’t recall anything particular.

14. Last movie you saw?

Twas something like, ‘Behind the enemy line’ .. but thats a long time back; I’m not that much into movies.

15. If you became a multi-millionaire overnight, what would you buy first?

Just let it happen, then we’ll see ..

16. Tell me something about you that I don’t know.

Whats that you don’t know? ..

17. If you could change one thing about the world, regardless of guilt or politics, what would you do?

I’d try to shrink the gaping void between the rich and the poor; I guess poverty is the mother of all evils. Maximum economic justice is the cry of the day.

18. Do you like to dance?

nahiiiiiiiiiiiii

19. George bush: is he a power-crazy nutcase or someone who is finally doing something that has needed to be done for years?

I guess Bush and Mush have a lot to do with the sorry state of affairs in todays world and especially Pakistan. They should be punished for their ways of brutality.

20. Imagine your first child is a girl, what do you call her?

Hafsa

21. [Same question for a boy]

Waleed

22. Would you ever consider living abroad?

Nopes, I guess.