”ham-chu sabza bar-ha roida-em”
(rumi)
My Voyage
phir ik din aisa aaega
ankhon ke diye bujh jaenge
hathon ke kanval kumhlaenge
aur barg-e-zaban se nutq o sada
ki har titli ud jaegi
ik kaale samundar ki tah men
kaliyon ki tarah se khilti hui
phulon ki tarah se hansti hui
saari shaklen kho jaengi
khuun ki gardish dil ki dhadkan
sab ragniyan so jaengi
aur niili faza ki makhmal par
hansti hui hiire ki ye kani
ye meri jannat meri zamin
is ki subhen is ki shamen
be-jane hue be-samjhe hue
ik musht-e-ghubar-e-insan par
shabnam ki tarah ro jaengi
har chiiz bhula di jaegi
yadon ke hasin but-khane se
har chiiz utha di jaegi
phir koi nahin ye puchhega
‘sardar’ kahan hai mahfil men
‘Like grass, I’ve sprouted again and again.’
-Rumi
One such day will come again
When stars in eyes are extinguished
When lotuses in hands are wilted
And from tongue’s leaf
the butterfly of sound ’n speech will fly away.
In the depths of a dark ocean
Blooming like buds
Laughing like flowers
All faces will disappear.
Blood flow, heart beat
All melodies will go to sleep
And on the velvet blue air
this twinkling diamond sliver
My earth, my paradise
Its mornings, its evenings
Without knowing, without understanding
Will weep, dew-like
On a fistful of dust that is man.
All things will be forgotten
From the beautiful temple of memories
All things will be removed
then no one will ever ask
Where has Sardar gone?
But I’ll come here again
I’ll speak through children’s mouths
I’ll sing in songs of birds
When seeds will smile in the earth
And tips of shoots
Will tease layers of soil
In every leaf, in every bud
I’ll open my eyes.
On my green palms
I’ll collect drops of dew
Like colour of henna, the rhythm of the ghazal
I’ll become the manner of speech
Like the face of a new bride
I’ll shine through every veil.
When wintry breezes bring
Autumn season to our valley
Beneath the feet of young travellers
In the crunching of dried leaves
Echoes of my laughter will float.
All golden streams of earth
All the blue lakes of sky
Will be filled with my being
And the whole world will see
that every story is my story
Every lover here is Sardar
And every beloved is Sultana.
I am a fleeting moment
In the magic house of time
I’m a restive water-bead
Forever busy travelling
From the heart of past’s wine jug
to the goblet of the future
I sleep, I wake
And slumber once again
For centuries I’m in play
death makes me immortal.
lekin main yahan phir aunga
bachchon ke dahan se bolunga
chidiyon ki zaban se gaunga
jab biij hansenge dharti men
aur konplen apni ungli se
mitti ki tahon ko chhedengi
main patti patti kali kali
apni ankhen phir kholunga
sarsabz hatheli par le kar
shabnam ke qatre taulunga
main rang-e-hina ahang-e-ghazal
andaz-e-sukhan ban jaunga
rukhsar-e-urus-e-nau ki tarah
har anchal se chhin jaunga
jadon ki havaen daman men
jab fasl-e-khizan ko laengi
rah-rau ke javan qadmon ke tale
sukhe hue patton se mere
hansne ki sadaen aengi
dharti ki sunahri sab nadiyan
akash ki niili sab jhilen
hasti se miri bhar jaengi
aur saara zamana dekhega
har qissa mira afsana hai
har ashiq hai ‘sardar’ yahan
har mashuqa ‘sultana’ hai
main ek gurezan lamha huun
ayyam ke afsun-khane men
main ek tadapta qatra huun
masruf-e-safar jo rahta hai
maazi ki surahi ke dil se
mustaqbil ke paimane men
main sota huun aur jagta huun
aur jaag ke phir so jaata huun
sadiyon ka purana khel huun main
main mar ke amar ho jaata huun
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