Guest Post by Naveed E.
Perveen Shakir died young. Her legend lives on.
She is arguably the most popular poetess of the literary history of Pakistan. She expressed the sensibilities of young lovelorn girl with the innocence of a girl next door and innovation of an adept poet. Her romantic poems and ghazals stirred the sentiments of youthful readers.
She enlivened the tales and traditions of love in a manner that her first book “Khushbooà¢ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚¬Ã‚? met an instant and incredible success. Within a span of seventeen years she wrote three more books of poetry, titled, “Sud Bergâ€Â?, “Khud Kalamieâ€Â? and “Inkarâà ¢â€šÂ¬Ã‚?.
“Barish Ki Nazmein� are very sentimental poems from “Sud Berg�.
On a rainy night, while posted in a far flung area of Pakistan, I was deeply touched with the enchantment of these poems.
My translations, below, are a tribute to the magic of Perveen.
A Poem of Rain
Barish mein kia tanha bhegna larki!
usay bula jis ki chahat mein
ttera tun mun bhega hai
pyar ki barish say barh kr kia barish ho gi
aur jub is barish kay baad
hijr ki pehli dhoop khilay gi
tujh per rang kay ism khulein gay
Why to soak alone in the rain, O! Girl
Beckon him in whose love
Your mind and body are drenched
There is no rain more than the rain of love
And when after this rain
The first sunshine of separation would glow
The mysteries of hues you’d know
Another poem of Rain
Peron ki mehndi mein nay
Kis mushkil say chhuraie thi
aur phir bairon khushboo ki
kaisi kaisi binti ki thi
pyari dheray bol
bhra ghar jag uthay ga
lekin jub us kay aanay ki ghari hoi
subah say aisi jhari lagi
umer mein pehli bar
barish achhi nahin lagi!
The henna on my feet
I scrubbed away so hard
And to insolent fragrance
Intensely I had begged
Dear speak lowly
Lest the full house might wake up
But when the time of his arrival came
Since morning the rain so set in
First time in my life
Rain didn’t amuse me!
Yet another poem of rain
Barish ab say pehlay bhi kai bar hoi thi
kia is bar meray rangrez nay chunri kachchi rangi thi
ya tan ka hi kehna such keh
rung to us kay honton mein tha!
It had rained often before
Did my dyer badly colored the scarf this time?
Or my torso had told the truth that
The colour was in his lips.
Naveed E. is a former civil servant, with a passion for poetry and writing.
kamaal-e-zabt ko Khud bhii to aazamaa_uuNgii
main apane haath se us kii dulhan sajaa_uuNgii
supurd kar ke use chaaNdanii ke haathon
main apane ghar ke aNdheron ko lauT aa_uuNgii
badan ke karb ko vo bhii samajh na paayegaa
main dil men rouuNgii aaNkhon men muskuraa_uuNgii
vo kyaa gayaa ke rafaaqat ke saare lutf gaye
main kis se ruuTh sakuuNgii kise manaa_uuNgii
vo ik rishtaa-e-benaam bhii nahiin lekin
main ab bhii us ke ishaaron pe sar jhukaa_uuNgii
bichhaa diyaa thaa gulaabon ke saath apanaa vajuud
vo so ke uThe to Khvaabon kii raakh uThaa_uuNgii
ab us kaa fan to kisii aur se manasuub huaa
main kis kii nazm akele men gun_gunaa_uuNgii
vo to Khushbuu hai havaaon men bikhar jaayegaa
masalaa phuul ka hai phuul kidhar jaayegaa
ham to samajhe the ke ek zaKhm hai bhar jaayegaa
kyaa Khabar thii ke rag-e-jaaN men utar jaayegaa
vo havaaon kii tarah Khaanaa_bajaaN phirataa hai
ek jhonkaa hai jo aayegaa guzar jaayegaa
vo jab aayegaa to phir us kii rafaaqat ke liye
mausam-e-gul mere aaNgan men Thahar jaayegaa
aaKhirash vo bhii kahiin ret pe baiThii hogii
teraa ye pyaar bhii dariyaa hai utar jaayegaa
Parveen Shakir