hum kya karte kis rah chalte
har rah mein kante bikhre the

in rishton ke jo chhut gae
in sadiyon ke yaranon ke

jo ek ek kar ke tut gae
jis rah chale jis samt gae

yun panw lahuluhan hue
sab dekhne wale kahte the

ye kaisi rit rachai hai
ye mehndi kyun lagai hai

wo kahte the kyun qaht-e-wafa
ka nahaq charcha karte ho

panw se lahu ko dho dalo!
ye rahen jab at jaengi

sau raste in se phutenge
tum dil ko sambhaalo jis mein abhi

sau tarah ke nashtar tutenge
wash the blood off your feet

what could we do—where could we go?
thorns were strewn in every pathway.

those bonds, now sundered—
those friendships of centuries

broken, one by one
whichever way we went, in whatever direction,

the feet were bathed in blood.