English

 

FISHERWOMAN’S SONG

 

 

I have flowers,

White flowers blossomed at the tips of soft stems.

I do not know which wave will be suitable to wash them away.

I have fish,

Silvery fish with glistening skin,

Whose scales do not soften,

And whose eyes remain bright,

Until we preserve them

For the scary days of next season.

I do not know what will the coming weather be like?

I have fishing nets,

In which fish quiver soundlessly,

That are made of strong ropes,

ropes: that lacerate the palms

Outlined red lacerations,

Which cannot be stitched together with the hook used to mend the nets.

Being alone is frightening,

I am turning white like the flowers.

My glistening skin has red lacerations,

Which the sea breeze fills with salt,

My heart flutters like a little boat,

And I shudder soundlessly like the fish,

My eyes do not stay bright

And my silver skin has softened.

The day that you lifted the anchor,

that wasn’t the day to leave.

Now your memory is like the sea:

Whose shore nobody has seen.

 

 

Translated from Urdu by Arshia Qasim

 

THE ETIQUETTES OF LOVE 

 

Boys going to war

do not comb their hair,

do not press their uniforms,

forget about shaving.

Neither do they notice

the unfastened strap of their bedrolls.

Just hurrying to get on the moving train,

they do not check seat numbers, 

they toss their bags inside,

smoke only half the cigarette.

They do not get the broken rifle butt repaired

They talk loudly,

and break the queue repeatedly.

They do not leave their addresses,

and never promise that they will be back

But they always close their eyes

when they kiss their beloved!

 

 

Translated from Urdu by Abid Raza

 

Abid Raza is a USA based writer of Pakistani origin, he writes mostly in Urdu, but recently he has been translating some notable Urdu poems into English language.