“ LONELINESS ” AND FAIZ AHMED FAIZ

                                                                          

LONELINESS ...

To this photo i am adding a poem of Faiz....

“ LONELINESS ” AND FAIZ AHMED FAIZ

FAIZ Is at his best when it comes to dealing with Loneliness in poetry . His imagery , skill and presentation moves you to tears .This could be due to the fact that Faiz had lived through what he later expressed in his poems . “TANHAAI” is amongst the finest Poems in this genre as it deals with Intense Loneliness experienced by the poet . 

                                                                        

Some one had to return . A weary wait .A starry sky , Piercing silence all around and Desolate pathways as the night settles itself. The ears , careful for even the feeblest Knock . Even if a leaf falls to ground ,the heart in wait gets alerted with the gentlest sound . Could this be his delicate foot steps ? A communication with the Heart begins . The heart that is the lone companion around ;

“ Is he at the door ? Just Look up .”

“ No, he is not . No one has returned . May be some Vagrant at the door who lost his path at this time of the night . He too shall soon Pass by and move to some other direction ”

Memories are in Tumult . Old wounds are throbbing . Every stitch of the fresh wound starts to lacerate . The hustle and bustle of the day had camouflaged so many sorrows; This unfriendly night brings them in through its porches. 

The pathways that were Busy during the day , helping scores of travelers to reach there destinations have turned weary now. They can not be expected to wait any further . They too need some rest. Other than facilitating the Journey , they have no relation with the travelers or with persons in wait . The dust on these pathways has also erased all impression of previous day’s footsteps. The pathway has to be prepared for Next day’s travelers. One after the other , these tired pathways are now surrendering to sleep . How long to wait now ? Does waiting serve any purpose? 

Decidedly , no one is returning now .What else to do now other than blowing out the candles , Drifting away from all temptations and locking all those dreamy chambers of the mind ?

No one shall return now .

                                                                        

Here is the poem and my English Translation . This is my third attempt to render the poem to simple English.

(TANHAAI)

“Phir koi aayaa, dil-e-zaar! “

“Nahin, koyee Nahin;”

Raah-rau hoga, kahin aur chala jayegaa.”

Dal Chuki Raat, 

Bikharne laga taaron ka ghubaar,

Larr-kharraane lagay Aiwaanon Mein khwaabeeda chiraagh,

So gayi Raasta tak tak ke har Ek Raah guzar;

Ajnabi khaak ne dhundlaa diye qadmon ke suraag.

Gul karo shamein, Barraa Do Mai-o-meena-o-ayaag,

Apne Be-khwaab kivaadon ko Muqaffal kar lo;

Ab Yahaan koyee Nahin, Koyee Nahin Aayegaa !

( Faiz Ahmed Faiz )

My Translation ..

( Loneliness )

“ Has someone turned up , O cheerless Heart? "

“No, None , 

May be a Wanderer it was ,

He will move on .”

As the night settles itself , 

The squall of stardust scatters over the sky.

In the Assembly Halls , 

The Dreamy Lights look sleepy and shimmer.

Weary in wait ,One after the other ,

Every pathway has given in to sleep . 

The alien dust of the paths has erased every impressions of the footsteps.

Blow out these candles Now ! 

Take away these cups, containers and the wine,

Bolt up the doors, 

Make safe those dreamless porticos

Now, no one will return this way . 

No one. No One ……….

In 1959, Well Known singer Noor Jahaan sang this poem in a private Gathering moving Faiz Ahmed Faiz ( who was present in that private Party ) to tears.

( Autar Mota )

PS
 (Photographs clicked by Autar Mota )

CHINAR SHADE by Autarmota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 India License.
Based on a work at http:\\autarmota.blogspot.com\.