safarnaamaa
use zidd ke nuur ke naashte meN
shariik huuN
hameN Khauf thaa sahar-e-azal
ke vo Khud parast na rok le
hameN apnii raah-e-daraaz se
kahiiN kaamraanii-e-nau ke ‘aish-o-suruur meN
hameN rok le
na Khalaa ke pehle jahaaz se
jo zamiiN kii samt rahiil thaa
hameN ye Khabar thii bayaan-o-harf kii Khuu use
hameN ye Khabar thii k apnii saut-e-guluu use
hai har aik shai se ‘aziiz-tar
hameN aur kitne kaam the (tumheN yaad hai?)
abhii “passport” liye na the
abhii raiz-gaarii kaa intizaar thaa
abhii “suitcase” bhii ham ne band kiye na the
use zidd k nuur ke naashte meN shariik huN
vo tamaam naashtaa
apne aap kii guftuguu meN lagaa rahaa
“hai mujhe zamiiN ke li’ye Khaliifa kii justujuu
ko’yii naik-Khuu
jo miraa hii ‘aks ho huu-ba-huu!”
tau ummiidvaaroN ke naam ham ne likhaa diye
aur apnaa naam bhii saath un ke baRhaa diyaa
“mirii aarzuu hai shajar hajar
mirii raah meN shab-o-roz
sijdaa guzaar hoN …
mirii aarzuu hai ke Khushk-o-tar
mirii aarzuu meN nazaar hoN…
mirii aarzuu hai ke Khair-o-shar
mire aastaaN par nisaar hoN …
mirii aarzuu … mirii aarzuu …”
shajar-o-hajar the na Khushk-o-tar
na hameN thii mastii e Khair-o-shar
hameN kyaa Khabar?
tau tamaam naashta chup rahe
vo jo guftuguu kaa dhanii thaa
aap hii guftuguu meN lagaa rahaa
baRii bhaag doR meN
ham jahaaz pakaR sake
isii intishaar meN kitnii chiizeN
hamaarii ‘arsh pe reh gayiiN
vo tamaam ‘ishq … vo hausle
vo masarrateN … vo tamaam Khaab
jo suitcasoN meN band the!
N. M. Danish
The Travelogue
His insistence, we must
attend the breakfast of the Light
our fear – at the dawn of the Beginning
in the euphoria of the New Triumph
the Proud one might hinder
our distant journey
might stop us
from catching the first spaceship
bound for the Earth
we knew that the two things dearest to Him
are his habit of speech and sermon
and His own voice
we had many things to do (remember?)
we had yet to grab the passports
the currency was still awaited
the suitcases were yet to be locked
and His insistence that we must
attend the breakfast of Light
During the entire breakfast
He kept on droning:
“I need a Deputy for the Planet
a nice fellow
my true reflection!”
we put forward the credentials
of a few candidates
and annexed our own CV
with the applications!
“I wish the trees and the rocks
day in and day out
kneel down before me
I wish the continents and the oceans
pine for me
I wish the Good and the Evil
bow at my doorsteps
I wish … I wish …”
Neither trees nor rocks
continents or oceans
Good or Evil
what we had to do with them?
we kept mum during the whole breakfast
while He, the Master of conversation
went on and on and on
We almost missed the ship
and in the chaos
left behind on the Heaven
stranded in the suitcases
all those loves
all those ecstasies
all those dreams
Translation by Zafar Iqbal Syed saahab courtesy ALUP.