The recent happenings in Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Bahrain and few more countries in middle east and Africa; the uprising of people and global pressures; some from freedom loving people and others from those whose interests are harmed by such turmoil. Who belong the second category you know, the same group of nations who first planted the poisonous plants like Osama Bin Laden or Taliban in Afghanistan, Saddam in Iraq or Gaddafi in Libya when they grew lager, blew the poisonous fumes towards their mentors then blow war bugle to uproot them! And thousands of innocents lives are lost because of their repeating such exercise ever since their own war WW-II ended. The feelings of common men is best portrayed by one great poet, Faiz Ahmed Faiz. Way back in 1959, sitting in Lahore jail he wrote this.................
Translation:
A wet eye, a shaken life is not enough,
The accusation of a hidden love is not enough,
With feet in chains, Let us go in public today.
Let us go with palms exposed, with a song and dance,
with dirt in our hair, with blood on our chest,
Let us go while the entire city of lovers watches.
For the warden of the city, and the crowd of the commoners,
And the arrows of accusation, and the stones of abuse,
And the glum morning, and the failing day,
Who is there to give them life except us?
Who is ready in this city except us?
Who is honorable enough for the killer’s hand except us?
Pack up your belongings O Injured heart ones!
Let us go friends and get killed once again.
chashm-e-num, jaan-e-shooreeda kafi nahi
tohmat-e-ishq poosheeda kafi nahi
aaj bazaar maiN paa_bajolaaN chaloo
dast afshaaN chalo, mast-o-raqsaaN chaloo
Khak bar_sir chalo, Khoon bada_maaN chaloo
raah takta hai sab shehr-e-jaanaN chaloo
hakim-e-shehar bhi, majma-e-aam bhi
teer-e-ilzam bhi, saang-e-dushnaam bhi
subh-e-nashaad bhi, rooz-e-nakaam bhi
inka dum_saaz apney siva kaun hai
shehr-e-jaanaaN maiN aab ba_safa kaun hai?
dast-e-qatil ke shaayaaN raha kaun hai?
raKht-e-dil bandh lo, dil_figarooN chaloo
phir hum he qatal ho aaiN, yarooN chaloo
tohmat-e-ishq poosheeda kafi nahi
aaj bazaar maiN paa_bajolaaN chaloo
dast afshaaN chalo, mast-o-raqsaaN chaloo
Khak bar_sir chalo, Khoon bada_maaN chaloo
raah takta hai sab shehr-e-jaanaN chaloo
hakim-e-shehar bhi, majma-e-aam bhi
teer-e-ilzam bhi, saang-e-dushnaam bhi
subh-e-nashaad bhi, rooz-e-nakaam bhi
inka dum_saaz apney siva kaun hai
shehr-e-jaanaaN maiN aab ba_safa kaun hai?
dast-e-qatil ke shaayaaN raha kaun hai?
raKht-e-dil bandh lo, dil_figarooN chaloo
phir hum he qatal ho aaiN, yarooN chaloo
Translation:
A wet eye, a shaken life is not enough,
The accusation of a hidden love is not enough,
With feet in chains, Let us go in public today.
Let us go with palms exposed, with a song and dance,
with dirt in our hair, with blood on our chest,
Let us go while the entire city of lovers watches.
For the warden of the city, and the crowd of the commoners,
And the arrows of accusation, and the stones of abuse,
And the glum morning, and the failing day,
Who is there to give them life except us?
Who is ready in this city except us?
Who is honorable enough for the killer’s hand except us?
Pack up your belongings O Injured heart ones!
Let us go friends and get killed once again.
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