Faiz Ahmed Faiz, 'A Prison Evening'

[lyryk.livejournal.com]

A Prison Evening by Faiz Ahmed Faiz
Translated from the Urdu by Agha Shahid Ali

Each star a rung,
night comes down the spiral
staircase of the evening.
The breeze passes by so very close
as if someone just happened to speak of love.
In the courtyard,
the trees are absorbed refugees
embroidering maps of return on the sky.
On the roof,
the moon - lovingly, generously -
is turning the stars
into a dust of sheen.
From every corner, dark-green shadows,
in ripples, come towards me.
At any moment they may break over me,
like the waves of pain each time I remember
this separation from my lover.

This thought keeps consoling me:
though tyrants may command that lamps be smashed
in rooms where lovers are destined to meet,
they cannot snuff out the moon, so today,
nor tomorrow, no tyranny will succeed,
no poison of torture make me bitter,
if just one evening in prison
can be so strangely sweet,
if just one moment anywhere on this earth.


Zindan ki ek shaam

Shaam ke pecho-kham sitaron se
Zeena-zeena utar rahi hai raat
Yoon saba paas se guzarti hai
Jaise keh di kisi ne pyaar ki baat.
Sahn-e-zinda ke be-vatan ashjar
Sarnigun mahav hain banain mein
Damn-e-aasman pe nakshe-nigaar.

Shaan-e-baam par damakta hai
Meherban chandi ka dast-e-jameel
Khaak mein dhul gayi hai aabe-najoom
Noor mein dhul gaya hai ashr ka neel.
Sabz goshon mein neelgoon saaye
Lahlahate hain jis tarah dil mein
Mauj-e-dard-e-phirak-e-yaar aaye.

Dil se paiham khayal kahta hai
Itni shireen hai zindagi is pal
Zulm ka zahar gholnewale
Kamran ho sakenge aaj na kal
Jalvagahe-visaal ki shamayein
Vo bujha bhi chuke agar to kya
Chand ko gul karen, to hum jaane.

Comments

[bohemiabythesea.livejournal.com]

From every corner, dark-green shadows/in ripples

Beautiful!

And hello! You're back here! ♥

[lyryk.livejournal.com]

Hello back! Yes, I couldn't stay away. ♥

[janvanmoor.livejournal.com]

this is very beautiful. thank you.
where could i get some more?

[janvanmoor.livejournal.com]

... no need to answer, just ordered the complete poets from our national library... still: thanks for posting.

[lyryk.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad to hear that! In the meantime, you can check the Agha Shahid Ali (http://community.livejournal.com/greatpoets/tag/agha%20shahid%20ali) tag at this community for more of his translations of Faiz, as well as Shahid's own poetry. (There's no Faiz tag, unfortunately.)

[janvanmoor.livejournal.com]

thank you. unluckily the faiz-poetry is like ahm locked up in our national library due to well, whatever, so i got the complete poets of agha shahid ali instead. will check out the tag as well. while i drove to the library i wondered about why i had written that it the poem was "beautiful". i guess i simply lacked a word for saying that it draws me into its words and pictures. the intensity of the scene i enough to leave one speechless and close to tears.

[lyryk.livejournal.com]

I felt exactly the same way the last time I used the word 'beautiful': that it wasn't enough, but there were really no other words either to describe what I was trying to say.

If you've got access to Shahid's works, The Rebel's Silhouette has all his translations of Faiz. You can also find some of the poems at this page (http://audiopoetry.wordpress.com/category/poet/faiz-ahmed-faiz/), although it doesn't have the best of selections.

P.S.: Oh, I realised now that you looked familiar because I've seen you on the lovely Bohemia's journal. :-)

[janvanmoor.livejournal.com]

yeah, i'm the one spreading nonsense all over lj.
but: maybe, once i've gotten deeper into shahid' poetry, i'll post some of it.
where did you get to know him, i.e. his poetry?

[lyryk.livejournal.com]

I was actually very lucky, because just when I was discovering Shahid's poetry, we had two writers in residence at college who were both madly in love with him. One of them had studied creative writing under him at Hamilton College in New York, and practically everything she spoke about in her lectures and workshops was related to Shahid. The other writer also reveres Shahid a lot, and analysed some of his poems in workshops. So it was a pretty wonderful introduction to someone who was just discovering his poetry :-)

(P.S.: Sorry for the late reply!)

[kairia.livejournal.com]

Oh Faiz <3 The more I read of him, the more awed I am. Thank you for posting this.

[lyryk.livejournal.com]

You're most welcome. I feel the same way about Faiz. <3

And oh, you're from Karachi! One of the writers I was just mentioning to janvanmoor above, Kamila Shamsie, was our writer in residence at college once, and thanks to her I've since been interested in books about her city. :-)

[kairia.livejournal.com]

Ha, I'm fairly ambivalent about Kamila Shamsie - the only book of hers I enjoyed was Salt and Saffron - skimmed through Kartography and Broken Verses but I've heard rave reviews about Burnt Shadows, perhaps that'll change my opinion of her but yes, I do adore the way she writes about Karachi! =)

[lyryk.livejournal.com]

Salt and Saffron is definitely her finest, if you ask me. I did make it through Kartography because I'm academically very interested in the theme of map-making, but I didn't think the book lived up to its potential, and I skipped the fourth one altogether. But I'm really fond of In the City by the Sea. There's something really stark and authentic about it, from the tragedy of the opening scene to the realism of the characters. And, of course, Karachi.

I've been reading wonderful reviews of Burnt Shadows too, so will probably give it a try. :-)

[with-rainfall.livejournal.com]

they cannot snuff out the moon, so today,
nor tomorrow, no tyranny will succeed
[...]if just one evening in prison
can be so strangely sweet,
if just one moment anywhere on this earth.

♥ That part is so true. I don't know Urdu, but this is such a lyrical, lovely translation.

[lyryk.livejournal.com]

Isn't it? I'm so glad you liked it. <3 This is one of my favourite translations.

P.S. I know that's Castiel in your icon, even though I'm only on S3 right now. *g*)

[with-rainfall.livejournal.com]

Oh, wait till you reach Season 5. ;)

[lyryk.livejournal.com]

Totally watching the hell out of S5 right now. And smitten with just about everyone in it. :-D

[with-rainfall.livejournal.com]

Have you watched "Changing Channels" yet?
Because THE TRICKSTER. ♥

Oh, and 5.22 is the best finale ever.

[lyryk.livejournal.com]

Yes I have. I did not see that coming! I was worried because someone told me that the show gets sucky after season 3, but imo it's still pretty great. Can't wait to watch the finale!