Vagabond

Give to me the life I love,
Let the lave go by me,
Give the jolly heaven above
And the byway nigh me.
Bed in the bush with stars to see,
Bread I dip in the river -
There's the life for a man like me,
There's the life for ever.

Let the blow fall soon or late,
Let what will be o'er me;
Give the face of earth around
And the road before me.
Wealth I seek not, hope nor love,
Nor a friend to know me;
All I seek, the heaven above
And the road below me.

Or let autumn fall on me
Where afield I linger,
Silencing the bird on tree,
Biting the blue finger.
White as meal the frosty field -
Warm the fireside haven -
Not to autumn will I yield,
Not to winter even!

Let the blow fall soon or late,
Let what will be o'er me;
Give the face of earth around,
And the road before me.
Wealth I ask not, hope nor love,
Nor a friend to know me;
All I ask, the heaven above
And the road below me.

- R. L. Stevenson

Togetherness

Khalil Gibran's poetry, though not very beautiful, is very thought provoking.


You shall be together when the white wings of death scatter your days.
Ay, you shall be together even in the silent memory of God.
But let there be spaces in your togetherness,
And let the winds of the heavens dance between you.

Love one another, but make not a bond of love:
Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.
Fill each other's cup but drink not from one cup.
Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf
Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone,
Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music.

Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping.
For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts.
And stand together yet not too near together:
For the pillars of the temple stand apart,
And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other's shadow.

- Khalil Gibran

Goodbye Blue Sky

Did you see the frightened ones?
Did you hear the falling bombs?
Did you ever wonder why we
Had to run for shelter when the
Promise of a brave, new world
Unfurled beneath the clear blue sky?
Did you see the frightened ones?
Did you hear the falling bombs?
The flames are all long gone, but the pain lingers on.
Goodbye, blue sky
Goodbye, blue sky.
Goodbye. Goodbye.

- Pink Floyd

Just before the song starts there is a child's voice saying "Look, Mummy. There's an airplane up in the sky."
Just my frustration with so many broken things... and myself.

Young man's death

Lots of wishes and longings and laments... now for some real thing!
Enjoy! :-))

Let me die a young man's death
not a clean and inbetween
the sheets holywater death
not a famous-last-words
peaceful out of breath death

When I'm 73
and in constant good humour
may I be mown down at dawn
by a bright red sports car
on my way home
from an allnight party

Or when I'm 91
with silver hair
and sitting in a barber's chair
may rival gangsters
with hamfisted tommyguns
burst in and give me a short back and insides

Or when I'm 104
and banned from the Cavern
may my mistress
catching me in bed with her daughter
and fearing for her son
cut me up into little pieces
and throw away every piece but one

Let me die a young man's death
not a free from sin tiptoe in
candle wax and waning death
not a curtains drawn by angels borne
'what a nice way to go' death

- Roger McGough

दश्त-ऐ-तन्हाई

Another Faiz Ahmed Faiz jewel sung by Tina Sani

दश्त-ऐ-तन्हाई में, ऐ जान-ऐ-जहाँ, लर्जां हैं
तेरी आवाज़ के साए, तेरे होंठों के सराब

In the desert of my solitude, oh love of my life, quiver
the shadows of your voice, the mirage of your lips

दश्त-ऐ-तन्हाई में, दुरी के खास-ओ-ख़ाक तले
खिल रहे हैं तेरे पहलु के सामान और गुलाब

In the desert of my solitude, beneath the dust and ashes of distance
bloom the jasmines and roses of your proximity

उहत रही है कहीं कुर्बत से तेरी साँस कि आंच
अपनी खुश्बू में सुलगती हुई मद्धम मद्धम

From somewhere very close, rises the warmth of your breath
smouldering in its own aroma, slowly, bit by bit.

दूर उफक पार चमकती हुई कतरा कतरा
गिर रही है तेरी दिल दार नज़र की शबनम

far away, across the horizon, glistens
drop by drop the falling dew of your beguiling glance

इस कदर प्यार से ऐ जान-ऐ-जहान रक्खा है
दिल के रुखसार पे इस वक़्त teri याद ने हाथ

With such tenderness, O love of my life,
on the cheek of my heart, has your memory placed its hand right now

यूँ गुमान होता है गरचे है अभी सुबह-ऐ-फिराक
ढल गया हिज्र का दिन आ भी गए वस्ल की रात

though it's still the dawn of adieu
the sun of separation has set, and the night of union has arrived.

Stand and stare

Pretty much sums a life with a kid... doesn't it?


What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.
No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.
No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.
No time to turn at Beauty's glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.
No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.
A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

- William Davies



I must add that I had decided to post an english poem today, and was surprised when I had to rake my head real hard for an english poem I liked. It could be just an affinity for my daily languages, or a greater ability to appreciate the intricacies of my own language. Don't know which, but I always have faced considerable difficulty in enjoying an English poem.

मुझ से पहली सी मोहब्बत

A lovely nazm by Faiz sung in the haunting voice of Noor Jehan. The song is from a movie but this picturization was more interesting.



मुझ से पहेली सी मुहब्बत मेरे महबूब न मांग
Don't ask me for the love I once gave you, my love


मैंने समझा था के तू है तो दरख्शां है हयात
I had thought if I had you, life would shine eternally on me

तेरा ग़म है तो ग़म-ऐ-दहर का झगडा क्या है
If I had your sorrows, those of the universe would mean nothing

तेरी सूरत से है आलम में बहारों को सबात
Your face would bring permanence to every spring

तेरी आखों के सिवा दुनिया में रक्खा क्या है
What is there but your eyes to see in the world anyway

तू जो मिल जाए तो तकदीर निगूँ हो जाए
If I found you, my fate would bow down to me

यूँ न था मैंने फ़क़त चाहा था यूँ हो जाए
This was not how it was, it was merely how I wished it to be


अनगिनत सदियों की तारिक बहिमाना तलिस्म
The dreadful magic of uncountable dark years

रेशम-ओ-अतलस-ओ-कमख्वाब में बुनवाये हुए
Woven in silk, satin and brocade

जा-बा-जा बिकते हुए कूचा-ओ-बाज़ार में जिस्म
In every corner are bodies sold in the market

ख़ाक में लिथडे हुए खून में नहलाये हुए
Covered in dust, bathed in blood

लौट जाती है उधर को भी नज़र क्या कीजिए
Still returns my gaze in that direction, what can be done

अब भी दिलकश है तेरा हुस्न मगर क्या कीजे
Even now your beauty is tantalizing, but what can be done

और भी दुःख हैं ज़माने में मोहब्बत के सिवा
There are other heartaches in the world than those of love

रहते और भी है वस्ल की राहत के सिवा
There is happiness other than the joy of union