Overture(n. m. rashed)

Aye Death,
Here, meet these people,
Artless people

People
Not of the book
nor of wine

People
Not of letters
nor of numbers

Nor the letters

People
Not of books
nor of machines

Not of space
nor of the world

People of doubt

Death, do not veil yourself!
Death, meet these people!


Step up! You all as well!
Greet Death!
Step up with your beggary
Step up donít hide your mercy bowls
You have nothing left to say for life
Laugh of Death! Laugh with Death!
Step up! You people of the world,
Step up! People of possession!


Death, all these men are negatives
Greater negatives, lesser men
Upon them look with favor!

Dance of Chains (habib jalib)

You, alas unbeknown to you,
the etiquettes of slavery:
You can dance, even in chains

Rebel woman! Today on the killing field,
the executioner demands that you perform deathís
dance:
And for the world, you shall be whipped to dance

Thus tyrannyís tribute is paid
and you can dance, even in chains


Dare! Lift those feet! Donít plead or bow!
What others shall do tomorrow, you must do now:
Dance for freedom, dance till death

For the limit of love is living by deaths
And you can dance, even in chains

Extract (faiz ahmed faiz)

Those shadows shimmering around the distant lamps:
Who knows if these are assemblies of pain or
gatherings of wine and drink
Those scattered colors on every wall, every door:
The distance doesnít divulge
if these are petals or blood

Quatrain (faiz ahmed faiz)

No image, no word
Nothing now, said or heard
Not even some comforting deceptionó

And the longing is prolonged:
Belovedís yearning, the eagerness of sight, the color of
pain
Letís keep silent tonight, for the heart is sad

When in Your Ocean Eyes(faiz ahmed faiz)

This shore of sunlight on
The slopes of evening,
This meeting of times:
Not day or night
Not today or tomorrowó
In a moment eternal, in a moment fume

Moments on this shore of lightó
The spark of lips
The clink of armsó
Our intimacies,
Not lies, not truths

Why should I secret this, why should I blame?
For what should I lie:

When in your ocean eyes
This eveningís sun shall set

The home shall find its sleep
And the traveler will walk his way

Memory(faiz ahmed faiz)

In the wilderness of solitude, O dear one,
echo the shadows of your voice
the mirages of your lips

In the wilderness of solitude
among the dusty desiccated steps of distance,
bloom the fruit and roses of your arms

Ah, from nearness rises,
smoldered in its own scents,
the warmth of your breath, soft and faint

And upon the far horizons sparkle, drop by drop,
the falling dewdrops of your dear glance

With such tenderness, dearest,
your memoryís palm so touches my heartís visage
that although it is the morn of separation
I dare to think it is the night of union, already

AFFECTION (PARVEEN SHAKIR)

SPRINGíS CLOUD HELD THE FLOWER
IN ITS PALMS AND
KISSED ITS FACE
IN SUCH A WAY THAT ALL ITS TEARS
POURED OUT AS FRAGRANCE

A PRAYER I HAD FORGOTTEN(munir niazi)

O BIRD OF JOY
COME TO MY ABODE, FLY!
FLY AWAY FROM SOME TREE
WITH YOUR CALL OF JOY
JOYOUS LET MY HOUSE BE
LET THE SORROWFUL CITY WATCH US
WITH JOY AND GLEE

LET A FEW THINGS REMAIN UNSAID (munir niazi)

LET A FEW THINGS REMAIN UNSAID
LET A FEW THINGS REMAIN UNHEARD
WHAT SHALL BE LEFT IF ALL IS SAID?
WHAT SHALL BE LEFT IF ALL IS HEARD?
LEAVE THE BOUGH HEAVY, UNBLOOMED
IN A COLORFUL, UNCREATED WORLD
LEAVE THE WINDOW UNOPENED