mera safar

ham-chu sabza bar-ha roida-em
(rumi)
my voyage
phir ek din aisa aaega


aankhon ke diye bujh jaenge
hathon ke kanwal kumhlaenge
aur barg-e-zaban se nutq o sada
ki har titli ud jaegi


ek kale samundar ki tah mein
kaliyon ki tarah se khilti hui
phulon ki tarah se hansti hui
sari shaklen kho jaengi


khun ki gardish dil ki dhadkan
sab ragniyan so jaengi
aur nili faza ki makhmal par
hansti hui hire ki ye kani


ye meri jannat meri zamin
is ki subhen is ki shamen
be-jaane hue be-samjhe hue
ek musht-e-ghubar-e-insan par


shabnam ki tarah ro jaengi
har chiz bhula di jaegi
yaadon ke hasin but-khane se
har chiz utha di jaegi


phir koi nahin ye puchhega
'sardar' kahan hai mahfil mein
‘like grass
i've sprouted again and again.'


-rumi
one such day will come again
when stars in eyes are extinguished
when lotuses in hands are wilted


and from tongue's leaf
the butterfly of sound ’n speech will fly away.
in the depths of a dark ocean
blooming like buds


laughing like flowers
all faces will disappear.
blood flow
heart beat


all melodies will go to sleep
and on the velvet blue air
this twinkling diamond sliver
my earth


my paradise
its mornings
its evenings
without knowing


without understanding
will weep
dew-like
on a fistful of dust that is man.


all things will be forgotten
from the beautiful temple of memories
all things will be removed
then no one will ever ask


where has sardar gone?
but i'll come here again
i'll speak through children's mouths
i'll sing in songs of birds


when seeds will smile in the earth
and tips of shoots
will tease layers of soil
in every leaf


in every bud
i'll open my eyes.
on my green palms
i'll collect drops of dew


like colour of henna
the rhythm of the ghazal
i'll become the manner of speech
like the face of a new bride


i'll shine through every veil.
when wintry breezes bring
autumn season to our valley
beneath the feet of young travellers


in the crunching of dried leaves
echoes of my laughter will float.
all golden streams of earth
all the blue lakes of sky


will be filled with my being
and the whole world will see
that every story is my story
every lover here is sardar


and every beloved is sultana.
i am a fleeting moment
in the magic house of time
i'm a restive water-bead


forever busy travelling
from the heart of past's wine jug
to the goblet of the future
i sleep


i wake
and slumber once again
for centuries i'm in play
death makes me immortal.


lekin main yahan phir aaunga
bachchon ke dahan se bolunga
chidiyon ki zaban se gaunga
jab bij hansenge dharti mein


aur konplen apni ungli se
mitti ki tahon ko chhedengi
main patti patti kali kali
apni aankhen phir kholunga


sarsabz hatheli par le kar
shabnam ke qatre taulunga
main rang-e-hina aahang-e-ghazal
andaz-e-sukhan ban jaunga


rukhsar-e-urus-e-nau ki tarah
har aanchal se chhan jaunga
jadon ki hawaen daman mein
jab fasl-e-khizan ko laengi


rah-rau ke jawan qadmon ke tale
sukhe hue patton se mere
hansne ki sadaen aaengi
dharti ki sunahri sab nadiyan


aakash ki nili sab jhilen
hasti se meri bhar jaengi
aur sara zamana dekhega
har qissa mera afsana hai


har aashiq hai 'sardar' yahan
har mashuqa 'sultana' hai
main ek gurezan lamha hun
ayyam ke afsun-khane mein


main ek tadapta qatra hun
masruf-e-safar jo rahta hai
mazi ki surahi ke dil se
mustaqbil ke paimane mein


main sota hun aur jagta hun
aur jag ke phir so jata hun
sadiyon ka purana khel hun main
main mar ke amar ho jata hun