Neend gehri hai, sahar dhoondh ke layaa na karo
Khawab he mei.n mujhe rehne do jagaayaa na karo
Sange-murr murr mein heefazat-se taraasho usko
Ret purr likh ke mera naam mitaayaa na karo
Mei.n bahaa aayee hu.n ganga mei.n kaee sadiyo.n ko
Tum mere khoklay lamho.n ko jeelaayaa na karo
In khalaaon mein sitaare bhi hai.n jugnu ki tarah
Meri raho.n mei.n chirago.n ko jalaayaa na karo
Meri ankhe.n nahi.n koi shishaa hai kaala-sa
Meri tasveer ubb mujhko dikhaayaa na karo
Khel hi khel hai sanso.nka faqt umr hai kyaa
Jeet lo bazee, isse haar ke jaayaa na karo
Aaeena khana-e-dil mei.n hai.n nazaare kitne
Apni palko.n ko jhukaaye yahaa.n ayaa na karo
Apni aankhon pe farebon.ka chadhaa kar chashma
Tum haqeeqat-e nazar apni milaayaa na karo
Bhul kar tirashabi apne makaano.n ki yahaa.n
Masha'ale din ke ujale mei.n jalaaya na karo
Ashq aankho.n mein 'Ghazala' nahin achchhe lagte
Yeh keval shabnami katron se sajaayaa na karo.
© Maryam 'Ghazala' Radhanpuri
Translation [word to word]
Deep is the sleep, please do not fetch morning
Let me remain inside a dream do not wake me up
Carve my name with care on marble
Not on sand, and do not keep erasing it
I have returned from Ganga river, having floated centuries
Do not keep reviving my hollow moments
In these universes stars keep twinkling like fireflies
Do not keep lighting lamps in my path
My eyes are not eyes but dark mirrors
Do not keep showing me my own image
What else is life but a play of mere breaths
Leave it in victory do not return after a loss
How many scenes there are in the mirror-hall of my heart
Do not enter in here with lowered eyelids
Covering your eyes with fraudulent dark glasses
Do not keep gazing at stark reality
Forgetting the unbroken darkness of your own dwelling
Do not keep lighting torches in broad daylight
'Ghazala' tears do not look seemly in your eyes
Do not keep trying to decorate them with mere dew-drops.
© Max Babi
Transcreation :
Let me luxuriate, ensconced in my dream
Resist that impulse to intrude.
My name, worthy of carving on marble
you write on sand? Mere wind will erase it.
When I have allowed centuries to float away
what use is reviving my hollow moments?
Stars flicker like fireflies in cosmos
why light measly lamps for my infinite march?
Dark mirrors deep as ocean are my eyes
what use is flashing my own image at them?
Life is just a game of survival
why abandon it after a momentary loss?
A fathomless mirror-hall is my heart-
enter boldly, why the coyness?
With a layer of deceit, what use are eyes
that stare at stark reality unblinkingly?
How futile to be under perennial darkness
And trying to light up the day with torches…
Hey Ghazala tears do not suit your eyes
Ephemeral dewdrops make a useless décor.
© Max Babi
Note : I am glad to translate and transcreate the bewitching poetry of Ms.Maryam Ghazala Radhanpuri, a living poet, who writes with enviable fluency in Urdu, Hindi, Gujarati and English. She holds a Master's in Arts, one in Psychology and another in Education. Recepient of many awards, she has taught at the university level for long periods.
She has published 6 volumes of poetry predominantly in Urdu and Gujarati, and loves to translate too. She leads an active retired life at Thane, one of the far-flung heavily industrialized suburbs of Mumbai [Bombay]. It would not be surprising to see her 7th volume come out any time now...
rate
email
print
link to this page
Comments: 18
Well i am much impressed by Gazala's gazals in a way because of indepth natural power of saying with a grace (NAJAKAT)! Thanks for putting such a nice poem here!
Barin, you should write a scholarly article on 'how to appreciate ghazals...'
you keep hinting at all this nazook-khayaali [could we call that 'delicate nuances' in English please?] which must be foxing our non-Urdu fellow poets.
Please think of writing a series of articles, I am with you.
Cheerz!
Beautiful...
True ease in writing comes from Art, not chance,
As those move easiest who have learned to "Dance...
Ajay, thanks for the lovely quote. So very apt!
Cheerz!
Really enjoyed this one! Had to do a bit of research on "Urdu" but that just clarified the source.
Love the line: "Stars flicker like fireflies in cosmos
why light measly lamps for my infinite march?"
Great job!
Touched to see you do research on my mother tongue, which is a sparkling confluence of many profound cultures, namely, Persian, Turkish and Arabic onto an Indian base.
If I could display something that lay deep withing an inaccesible domain, well, looks like I would have to do this much more seriously and continually!
Thanks a lot and cheerz!
Lucie, you are a sensitive woman and I really appreciate your love for language. How I would love to recite to you!
Kathryn, To appreciate the translation requires great sensitivity to understand poetry. I am glad that you have sensed the true essence of my poetry.
Thank you very much everyone, this is heartening to see how technology is helping me reach out to the world.
I think I would break out of my skin, the lady herself, Mme. Maryam Ghazala, is here!
I am working on posting more translations and transcreations from her prolific collection of absolutely mind-blowing stuff. Both in Urdu and Gujarati.
Cheerz!
belatedly catching up with this, I first read your literal translation, then produced a new version, "Slumbering deep," then proceeded to enjoy your transcreation. The latter is one of the best -- I think in fact the best -- I've seen from you so far. For whatever reason, your approach seems particularly well-suited to this ghazal. Hope you find my effort at a more "formal" version acceptable.
cheers,
d.i.
I am sorry for having said you were not computer-savvy -that was a very childish thing to conclude based on my feeling that people in my own generation are usually not computer savvy...and you belong to an earlier generation. However all generalisations are dangerous, including this one! My friend Dilip Chitre, who must be nearly 10 years my senior is VERY computer savvy... so there are exceptions!
It would be wonderful if I could have your email id -mine is maxbabi AT gmail DOT com. I am an email freak, and answer hundreds of messages daily. Sometimes I do feel the need to connect with you... by the way I am not a 'phone person' at all.
As you can see, David and I both are excited by our attempts to popularize your very personal kind of wisdom placed on a silver platter of poetry... Nimesh too.
May you lead a long and healthy life, so that more and more books get published.
Cheerz!