“Khwaab” by Dr Saleem Wahid Saleem

“Khwaab” by Dr Saleem Wahid Saleem
Rakh zinda use ho jo koi khwab tawanaa
Akhir ye koi sang-o-gil-o-khaak naheen hai
Aflaak ke neeche tah-e-khursheed-e-jahaan taab
Kucch is se siwaa khwab-e-tarabnaak naheen hai
Tashkeel jisay hiddat-e-zahni ne diya ho
Aur dil ki tamannaon ko matloob hua ho
Khush rang ho jo saaya-e-pur karb-e-fana mein
Yaa neend ne tabinda-o-marghoob kiya ho
Ya abr-e-bahaaraan ne bina daali ho jiski
Taabish guhar andazi-e-baaraan ne bhi dee ho
Ubhra ho jawani ke tarab khez ufuq se
Masti kisi maasoom kharamaan ne bhi dee ho
Ya ubhraa ho peeri ki alamnaak fazaa mein
Jab ras ho na mas ho na kisi shokh ki chhab ho
Ho umr kay mausam mein shab-e-mausam-e-sarma’
Har rang naye karb, naye gham ka sabab ho
Us waqt yahi Daulat-e-bedaar-e-dil-o-zahn
Bas ek yahi khwaab nibhaaye gaa tira saath
Jo daur-e-tabaahi mein tabaahi ke khushi ho
Har ehd mein gulrez raha aur raha saath
Rakh yaad gil-o-sang bhi ho jaayenge gul khez
Ye khwaab raha saath agar taa dam-e-aakhir
Ek mehr-e-guhartaab tere saath rahe gaa
Bakhshe gaa tujhe Daulat-e-bedaar-e-masarrat
Aur zahn ki wus’at ko tarab khez ada bhi
Phoolon ki, shigoofon ki tarawat hi mahak bhi
Fawwaron ki aawaazen bhi, panchhi ki sadaa bhi
Haan, sirf tire khwaab ko haasil hai ye taufeeq
Wo jo tire zahn aur dil-e-muztar ki hai ijaad
Jo karb ke mausam ko tarab khez banaa de
Aur kar de kharaabon ko bhi baa-raunaq-o-aabaad
Jo tere nafas mein rahe taabinda-o-zinda
Taabinda-o-paainda-o-pur taab-o-jahinda

(Central idea from W.H. Auden’s poem)

(Note by Muslim Saleem (It is one of the best translations done by my father. In a way, the translation seems better than the original poem. It also offsets Dr Saleem Wahid Saleem’s honesty that he had admitted it to be a translation and had not claimed credit for an original work unlike many Urdu stalwarts including Ghalib who lifted others’ poetry and gave it their name.)