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649 views19 pagesUrdu Poetry
This document provides a selection and English translations of Urdu poetry by notable Pakistani poets such as Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Munir Niazi, Parveen Shakir, and Habib Jalib. It includes an introduction about the compiler, Bilal Tanweer, and contents listing 11 poems. The summaries of 3 poems are:
1) A prison evening by Faiz Ahmed Faiz is a 3 stanza poem describing a prison courtyard at evening time with stars, trees, and moonshine while contemplating the futility of tyranny.
2) Affection by Parveen Shakir is a single stanza poem likening a spring cloud kissing a flower's face to pouring
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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
649 views19 pagesUrdu Poetry
This document provides a selection and English translations of Urdu poetry by notable Pakistani poets such as Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Munir Niazi, Parveen Shakir, and Habib Jalib. It includes an introduction about the compiler, Bilal Tanweer, and contents listing 11 poems. The summaries of 3 poems are:
1) A prison evening by Faiz Ahmed Faiz is a 3 stanza poem describing a prison courtyard at evening time with stars, trees, and moonshine while contemplating the futility of tyranny.
2) Affection by Parveen Shakir is a single stanza poem likening a spring cloud kissing a flower's face to pouring
Uploaded by
btCopyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
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/ 19
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-