Dr Sunil translates six evocative Urdu/Hindi poems by the Canadian poet, Tahir Aslam Gora,
exclusively for Different Truths.
Sleep Evades
Otherwise, I never feel sleepy, Only when the bed is seen The exhaustion of the day returns heavy as the centuries, The unseen-bed makes sleepiness hover as a cloud, The old tasks delayed for centuries get recalled instantly, Sleep keeps on staring at the bed.
Not a Sad Realisation
No, not a sad realisation! But Worth reflection, For days together Meeting self does not happen easily, Suddenly I remember my worth Then feel like crying But I cannot cry at that moment When I get the time to cry I cannot even recall Who I am ---no, this is not a sad realisation But Worth reflecting.
Showing Palms for Reading
Those who want their palms to be read Are the ones who want their lives To be determined by them, Real life is outside the palms, The crisscrossing lines are like life, Do not get trapped in that maze Palm lines may reveal truths Even then Keep on doing the allotted jobs.
Chance
Meeting that beauty Was a chance You got easily scared Now You are off-colour It was a mere Chance, So many beautiful Sights Missing from your field of vision You keep on Wringing Hands
The Fair of Democracy
The progressive democracies Are like the fair, Where the children of developing Nations Get lost!
Maze of the Sky
A different view, Watching the sky from a mountain, The sky no longer looks like A sky We feel emboldened to navigate the Maze-like sky, Only by climbing a mountain, it Appears closer and within arms’ reach, So close You find it easy to swim in it. Not possible, To reach beyond the summit, Otherwise We would have easily glimpsed Outside of the sky.
(From: Manzar Aakhon Main Tahere Rathe Hain by Tahir Aslam Gora. Translated in Hindi from Urdu by Tasneef Haider. Kautilya Books, New Delhi, 2023. ISBN: 978-93-90885-89-3)
Tahir Aslam Gora is a prominent writer, novelist, poet, journalist, editor, translator, publisher, and TV Host with over 30 years of experience in journalism and the world of Literature.
Picture of Tahir Aslam Gora
A humble word-worshipper: catcher of elusive sounds, meanings and images. Published 27 creative and critical books— joint and solo. A winner of, among others, the Panorama Golden Globe Award-2023, and, Nissim Award for Excellence-2022 for the novel Minotaur. His poems were included in the prestigious UN project: Happiness: The
Delight-Tree: An Anthology of Contemporary International Poetry, 2015.
Editor of the monthly Setu journal (English):
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