Ranjish hi sahi... by Ahmed Faraz -transcreated by Max Babi

rasm-o-rahe duniya = customs and traditions of the society

dil-e khush feham = optimistic heart
giryaa = tears 

Translation :

It is all right, even if to hurt me,

even if to leave me, do come back to me

hey,  let my  love's pride   remain intact

why don't you come back, to woo me back to joy

Our relationship may not be the same now, but even if seldom,

for the sake of  society's expectations, do come back please

To whom all should I explain the reasons for our drifting apart

You may be angry at me, but for the sake of people, do come back please

Since ages, I have been deprived of the joy of catering to your tantrums

hey, you relief for a broken heart, come back to make me cry at least, please

This perennially optimistic heart harbors hopes still,

come back to extinguish the last candle of hope, please...

© Max Babi

Transcreation :

Come back my love, even with hostility glistening in your eyes,

Come back. Just for a brief encounter, come back.

An aura of pride surrounds my love for you,

Come back for a change, woo me into joy.

Pointless flogging a comatose relationship,

But, to keep up appearances, please come back.

Our intimate discords can't be  aired

Nurse your anger, but for people's sake, do come back.

What joy it was to take umbrage and seethe,

To soften and dissolve –all that is gone,

You, who were always a shower to my thirsty heart,

Come back to hurt me again, come back.

My idiotic heart, perennially optimistic, harbors hopes,

Come back to snuff out the last candle of hope, come back!

© Max Babi

About the Poet Ahmed Faraz :

He is a tall, mild-mannered Pathan from the Northwest Frontier Province in Pakistan, with a wry sense of humour and looks that still win him a gushing female following. Born in Kohat in a Pushto-speaking family, Faraz did his masters in Persian and started his career as a scriptwriter for Radio Pakistan. He has been an academic and the director-general of the Academy of Letters.

Faraz is essentially a romantic poet. Steeped in classical Persian and Urdu traditions, he combines the sensitivity and lyricism of the 18th century Mir Taqui Mir and the philosophical range and depth of Mirza Ghalib, easily the greatest of the 19th century poets.