by B. R. GOWANI
The ghazal beautifully sung by Naheed Akhtar is from the 1988 Pakistani film Kalay Badal (Black Clouds). It is set to music by Rabbani. The titles of the film listed three poets: Saeed Gilani, Mahsoor, and Mansoor Gohar.
shab-e-gham mujh se mil kar aese royi
shab-e-gham mujh se mil kar aese royi
milA ho jese sadiyoN bAd koi
hameiN apni samajh Ati nahiN khud
hameiN kyA khAk samjhAyegA koi
qareeN manzil pe A ke dam hai TuTA
kahAN A kar meri taqdeer soyi
kuchh aese Aj un ki yAd Ayi
mili ho jese daulat aik khoi
sajA rakhA kafas hai khoonoN par se
ke ab to bijliyAN le Aye koi
shab-e-gham mujh se mil kar aese royi
milA ho jese sadiyoN bAd koi
Translation with notes by B. R. Gowani
The night of grief
meeting me, the night of grief wept
as if someone had met me after centuries <1>
I can’t understand my own self
how could anyone explain me
near my destination I breathed my last
what a place for my fate to fall asleep! <2>
the way he entered my memory today
it was as if I had found lost wealth
the cage is adorned with blood and feathers
now somebody should bring the lightning <3>
meeting me, the night of grief wept
as if someone had met me after centuries
Notes
<1> For the poet, grief is her prevalent state and hence the sarcasm. It’s like friends who met yesterday, are meeting again today in such a way as if yesterday was a long time ago.
<2> It is as if a person forced to leave his country, that was messed up by the IMF and US government, in hope of making his life better, reaches the US border but is killed by Border Patrol, or the case of the tens of thousands of lives lost at sea, before reaching shore. The person seemingly about to achieve his goal, and reach his destiny, departs this world, for the ultimate sleep of the dreamworld.
<3> The bird in the cage struggling to set itself free has bloodied itself with feathers scattered all over. The bird has strived so long for liberty that, now, it is tired. In other words, the poet is done with the world and wants lightning to electrocute his place, including himself, which has become a prison for him, because he couldn’t get from life what he had desired.
B. R. Gowani can be reached brgowani@hotmail.com