NO TRACE OF BLOOD ,Faiz Ahmad Faiz

Nowhere, there is any trace of blood

Neither on the hands and nails of the slayers,
nor any sign on the sleeve.
No redness on the dagger's edge,
nor any colour on the spear's head.
No stains on the earth’s breast,
nor any smear on the ceiling.
Nowhere, there is any trace of blood

It was
Not spent in the service of kings,
to gain some bounty;
Nor offered in a religious rite,
to obtain absolution;
Nor spilled on the battlefield
to attain fame – as inscription on a banner.

It cried for attention –
that unprotected, helpless blood.
Yet, none had the time or the will –
to listen to that blood.
No accuser nor any witness –
just a ´clean sheet`
That blood from the figures of clay –
the Earth consumed it

O' TRUE GOD,Faiz Ahmad Faiz

O' true God! You had decreed:
"My Man! You are the king of the world,
My bounties are now your riches,
You are my deputy and viceroy."

After sending me away on this pretence,
Have you ever asked:
"How have you endured life, my Man?"
Have you ever enquired, O' My Lord!
How this world has treated your viceroy?

On the one hand there is intimidation by the police,
On the other there is persecution by the stewards.
This skeleton of mine carries a heart which trembles,
The way a sparrow flutters when caught in a trap.

What a king you have made? O' My Lord!
A chain of sufferings, not a moment's peace for him.
I do not wish any kingship, O' My Creator!
A bit of dignity shall suffice for me.
These palaces and mansions are not my choice,
A corner in life's fabric is all that I ask.

If you listen to me, then I will listen to you,
I swear in your name: "I shall never go astray."
But if this demand of mine is not met by you,
Then I must also search, and find a new God.

My love, My life ...Faiz Ahmed Faiz

If I were sure of this, O my love, my life
!If your weary heart and breast, your despondent eyes,
Soothed by my love and care would indeed revive;
If my word of solace could act as anodyne,
To relume your darkened brain, uplife your mind,
Wash away the blot of shame from your brow depressed,
And restore to its health, this your faded prime;
If I were sure of this, O my love, my life!
I would entertain you day and night, morn and eve,
For ever sing for your delight songs light and sweet,
Of spring and gardens, and of waterfalls,
Of rising sun, the sailing moon, and the shining youth,
How the frigid beauties proud,
Melt in the heat of warm embrace,

Ask me not, my love,Faiz Ahmed Faiz

Ask me not, my love, for the love of former days,
I had thought, with you around life 'uld be dazzling bright,
With your griefs to fill my heart, other griefs would vaporize,
Your beauty keeps the spring alive,
The world contains naught else but your starry eyes,
To own you is to own the fortune's richest prize.
It wasn't so; I simply wished it could be so!
Besides the griefs of love, there're other griefs in life,
Besides the joy of union there're other delights.
The dark, devilish spells, o'er several centuries cast,
Woven in silks and satins, in brocade finely wrought;
Human bodies for sale in every street and shop,
Bodies bathed in blood, splashed with gory spots,
I cannot help but see them all.
Your beauty still attracts the heart; but what to do?
There are other griefs in life,
Besides the joy of union, there're other delights

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