روشن کەيں بەار کے امکاں ەوۓ تو ەيں
گلشن ميں چاک چند گريباں ەوۓ تو ەيں
Somewhere the lights of spring have surely appeared
A few collars, in the garden, have surely shredded
ٹەري ەوي ەۓ شب کي سياەي وەيں، مگر
کچھ کچھ سحر کے رنگ پَر افشاں ەوۓ تو ەيں
The dark ink of night remains still, but
Some colors of dawn have surely appeared
ەے دشت اب بھي دشت، مگر خونِ پا سے فيض
سيراب چند خارِ مغيلاں ەوۓ تو ەيں
The desert is still a desert, but from you bleeding feet, Faiz
Their thirst, a few thorns have surely quenched
- August 1952, Faiz Ahmed Faiz.
update: Please sign the Avaaz petition.
I would also recommend James Mawdsley’s The Iron Road: A Stand for Truth and Democracy in Burma – a truly inspiring work.
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“….. Burma represent a test for the international community as much as the will of the Burmese people.”
بول کہ لب آزاد ہیں تیرے
بول زباں اب تک تیری ہے
بول یہ تھوڑا وقت بہت ہے
جسم و زباں کی موت سے پہلے
بول کہ سچ زںدھ ہے اب تک
بول جو کچھ کہنا ہے کہ لے
At this rate, you can soon have your own translations of Faiz a la K C Kanda…Faiz: kal, aaj aur kal. Which of the translators do you think do a good job of translating Faiz: Agha Shahid Ali, V G Kiernan…?
There’s a petition at Avaaz that’s worth signing. I don’t know what else people can do, aside from making noise. Apparently some monks in exile will lead a protest at the UN this afternoon.
We are getting very bad news from inside the country now—raids on the monasteries, live ammunition fired into crowds, and unconfirmed reports of a many people killed in Mandalay.
For those interested in more news:
http://www.ko-htike.blogspot.com/
http://www.irrawaddy.org/
http://www.burmanet.org/news/
abir: I prefer Agha to any else but I often find myself nitpicking this or that choice he makes. Still, it is far greater a job than I can ever manage.
e: thanks for the links. I added the Avaaz petition.