Tuesday, April 19, 2011

English translation of ghazal (jab bhi jazbon ke liye) by Muslim Saleem by Dr. Shahzad Rizvi

English translation of ghazal (jab bhi jazbon ke liye) by Muslim Saleem

by  Dr. Shahzad Rizvi

When expressing emotions words turned into daggers 

The delicate hands were transformed into murder weapons

When the high and mighty were brought down by the raging storm of time

The lowly ones rose to the occasion and took their place

Slowly but assuredly we learned the art of living
While living among Romans we turned into Romans

Since we plunged into the ocean of struggles of life
we faced such challenges that we became expert swimmers

Leaving poverty and starvation behind when we launched ourselves
our determination became steely like Alexander's to conquer the world

From afar everything was titillating and tempting and beautiful
And when we touched them up close they turned into meaningless nothings

Muslim - who happened to pass through the universe of my imagination
That many a past moments of my memory became eternally fragrant 


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