Dedicate to my father, who is older than Pakistan

When I look at his picture,

I feel profoundly amazed, 

And glazed with a thought, 

That youth is such a wonderful time!

He is a bit older than Pakistan, 

But he is!

He is fighting Diabetes,

Now he has gone old,

Now he is weak,

He can’t handle physical works, 

He needs a rest, 

I love him so much,

I respect him so much,

He is even older than Pakistan,

After my father has gone old, people have started gossips

That he has to go soon! 

To the eternal peace!

When a person gets old,

Then people start guessing about the remaining days, 

I have observed, 

I have heard,

Many of them guessed,

 but they have gone before of my Dad,

Sometimes I think,

Is that really what it is? 

As all our judgments go right,

No, I guess, not!

Eventually, he has to go, 

Because he is even older than Pakistan, 

I am his son,

I am young, 

I have strength, 

He loves me a lot,

He is like a shelter to me under the tropical sun’ 

He is the bank of River Indus’

He is my support’

Whenever, I flashback my memories,

Pertaining to the time when he would have carried me up on his lap,

He would have kissed me with love,

He would have felt joy, 

As I was his produce of his semen, 

How dear is the produce of semen?

One can understand the joy of who has children, 

This is the affection,

This is want,

This is about feelings,

Whatever it may be, 

The zest of it is sweeter than honey, 

I am his produce,

He loves me, 

That cannot be measured,

There is no limit for it, 

No counting,

I am looking at my father’s picture,

And warm tears are dropping down the cheeks

Absorbing on the floor, 

People’s judgmental scathes,

Becoming nightmare for me, 

Shows me horrible images, 

I think of him, 

My father who is even older than Pakistan,

Spending his remaining days in loneliness,

He is in deep thinking too,

He is almost lost in thoughts,

He gets alerted on slight matters,

Because he has gone weak,

He recalls his youth certainly, 

I still remember,

When I was a kid,

I asked him, 

‘’How old are you’’

He laughed, and replied

‘’ I am older than Pakistan’’

In that little age,

I felt so proud, 

That my father was even older than Pakistan,

A little more may be but he is.

I met him few months back,

On my visit back home,

I was caught by surprise when I looked at him,

He was not doing well at all, 

His health had gone so down,

I asked him instantly to go with me, 

And live with me now on, 

He refused and gave excuses,

That he wants to die where was he born, 

he said,

‘’Karachi is gone suffocated’’

‘’People have come intolerant’’

‘’pollution has gone up’’

‘’over crowded city’’

‘’too much traffic

‘’ and won’t be able to go out of your house’’

‘’ here at least I go outside’’

‘’Walk around in streets and roads’’

‘’ get my legs relaxed’’

‘’ in Karachi, that will not be possible’’

‘’climbing steps is a hard for me’’

He assured me that he will come to visit 

I have been waiting till then, 

But, 

My father has not come yet,

I have been asking him to come,

But he always reply the same, 

‘’ I will come, soon’’

In fact, I am worried about him.

The people’s gossips have echoed in my mind so deep, 

My father who is even older than Pakistan,

He is so weak,

People are now looking forward for his pass away, 

Sooner, or later he will pass away,

The old things get obsolete,

And for obsolete things people think the same way.

One day, Death has to knock our door,

Even though human being is a superior to other beings,

But human has to get caught by Angel of Death one day,

He breaks down and dies

Only Left over is the memories.

My father who is even older than Pakistan,

People make such judgments every day, 

I wish I could impart,

And I would have given him good health,

And my youth, 

That’s my crave, 

But 

All we think cannot be possible 

Father has to go, 

Sooner or later,

He is the even older than Pakistan,

I resemble, 

If father had gone, 

So is that one day,

Pakistan will go too! 

Everything on earth is mortal, 

Ibn-e-Khaldoon has described the same,

Some days are for growth,

Some days are for the peak time,

And some are for downfall,

And then everything has to end

Yes

My father, 

Yes

Pakistan, 

And I will have to reach to end! 

Everything will reach to end!

After everything finished

Another new world will emerge

So every end has its beginning,

Eventually new world will reach to an end,

Everything is on winding road of end,

My father 

Pakistan 

Myself

And we all

On our own way to end,

The end is the reality

The end will remain

The truth is that 

The end is only endless.

_____________________

Note for the translator:

Especial thanks to Zahoor Soomro,

who bleongs to Shikarpur

but lives in London, UK for some years

He is very sensetive person

because he is a poet as well,

he writes poetry not only in English but Urdu too.

I'm thankful dear Zahoor for this toilsome work,

you obliged, 

gave me honor and you transalted my verse

from Sindhi to English.

It is really a toilsome work. 

Hisam Memon

October 26, 2012

___________

Sindhi Version

 مان هن جي تصوير ڏسي

انتهائي خوش ٿيندو آهيان

سچ ته جواني ڪمال آهي

هو پاڪستان کان ڪجهه وڏو آهي

ڪجهه ئي

 پر وڏو ته آهي

هاڻي هن کي شگر آهي

هاڻي هو پوڙهو ٿي ويو آهي

هاڻي هن جي بت ۾ دم ناهي

ته جسماني ڪم ڪري سگهي

هن کي آرام جي ضرورت آهي

مان هن سان انتهائي پيار ڪندو آهيان

هو مون لاءِ انتهائي قابلِ احترام آهي

هو پاڪستان کان به وڏو آهي

جڏهن بابا ڪمزور ٿي ويو آهي ته

سڀ چون ٿا

اڄ نه سڀان هو پنهنجا ڏينهن پورا ڪري

مٽيءَ ماءُ حوالي ٿيندو

ماڻهو جڏهن پوڙهو ٿي وڃي ٿو

ته دنيا اهڙا انومان پالي ٿي

مان ڏٺو آهي

ٻڌو آهي

ڪيترن ائين سوچيو

پر اهي بابا کان اڳ

مٽيءَ ماءُ حوالي ٿيا

ڇا ضروري آهي ته

جيئن اسين سوچيون

تئين ئي ٿئي

پر دير يا سوير

هو ضرور مٽيءَ ماءُ حوالي ٿيندو

ڇو ته هو پاڪستان کان به وڏو آهي

مان هن جو پٽ آهيان

جوان آهيان

بت ۾ مضبوط آهيان

هو مونکي انتهائي گهڻو پيار ڪندو آهي

هو مون لاءِ ٿڌي ڇانو جهڙو آهي

سنڌوءَ جو ڪنارو آهي

منهنجو سهارو آهي

مان تصور ڪيان ٿو

ڪڏهن هن مونکي ڪڇ ۾ کنيو هوندو

چميو هوندو

خوش ٿيو هوندو

ته مان هن جي نطفي جو ڦل آهيان

نطفي جو ڦل ڪيترو مٺو ٿئي ٿو

هر اولاد وارو شخص ڄاڻي ٿو

هي هڪ جذبو آهي

جبلت آهي

يا محسوسات

جيڪو به

ان جو ذائقو ماکي کان وڌ آهي

مان هن جو ڦل آهيان

هو مونکي چاهي ٿو

جنهن جي حد ناهي

ماپو ناهي

ڪو کاتو ناهي

مان پنهنجي بابا جي تصوير ڏسان ٿو

منهنجي اکين مان گرم لڙڪ

ڳلن تان ترڪيا

زمين ۾ ضم ٿي وڃن ٿا

دنيا جيڪي انومان پالي ٿي

مون اڳيان ازدها بڻجي اچن ٿا

مان هن لاءِ سوچيان ٿو

بابا جيڪو پاڪستان کان به وڏو آهي

هاڻي پنهنجا آخري ڏهاڙا

اڪيلائيءَ ۾ گهاري ٿو

هو به سوچي ٿو

انتهائي گهرو

هو سوچن ۾ گم آهي

هاڻي هو ننڍي ڳالهه تي به ڇرڪ ٿو ڀري

ڪمزور جو ٿي پيو آهي

هن کي پنهنجي جواني ياد اچي ٿي

مون کي ياد آهي

مان ننڍو هوس

مان هن کان هڪ دفعي پڇيو هيو

بابا اوهان جي عمر ڪيتري آهي

هن کلي ڪري چيو هيو

مان پاڪستان کان به وڏو آهيان

هن چيو هيو

مان ننڍي هوندي کان

ان ڳالهه تي فخر ڪندو آهيان

بابا پاڪستان کان به وڏو آهي

ڪجهه ئي

پر آهي ته وڏو

ڪجهه مهينا اڳ ملاقات ٿي هئي هن سان

جڏهن ڳوٺ ويو هوس

هن کي ڏسي جهٻو اچي ويو هو

مون کان رڙ نڪري وئي هئي

۽ مان هن کي چيو هيو

بابا اوهان جي اهڙي حالت

بس، اوهان مون سان گڏ هلو

اوهان مون سان رهو

هن اهو چئي مون واري ڳالهه ٽاري

ته هو جتي ڄميو آهي

اتي ئي مرندو

ڪراچيءَ ۾ هاڻي ساهه ٻوساٽبو آهي

ماڻهو ماڻهن کي ڪچو ٿا کائن اتي

دونهون آهي

تمام گهڻا ماڻهو آهن

ٽريفڪ آهي

۽ تو واري جاءِ کان ٻاهر نڪري نه سگهندس ڪاڏي

هتي وري به ٻاهر نڪندو آهيان

ڪجهه رستا ۽ گهٽيون گهمندو آهيان

ڄنگهون ساهيندو آهيان

ڪراچيءَ ۾ اهو سڀ مون لاءِ ممڪن ناهي

ڏاڪڻيون لهڻ چڙهن به مسئلو آهي

هن مونکي چيو هيو

ته هو مون وٽ ايندو

مان انتظار ڪندو رهيو آهيان

پر بابا اڃا ناهي آيو

مان هن کي چوندو رهيو آهيان

ته اچو

هو هر دفعي ساڳيو ئي جواب ڏيندو آهي

ته ايندس، جلد ايندس

سچ ته مان هن لاءِ پريشان آهيان

مونکي زماني جي انومانن جا پاليل ازدها

وڪوڙي ويا آهن

بابا جيڪو پاڪستان کان به وڏو آهي

هاڻي بنهه ڪمزور آهي

دنيا ان جي موڪلاڻيءَ لاءِ سوچي ٿي

دير سوير هن کي اسانکان موڪلائڻو آهي

ڇو ته جيڪا شيءِ پراڻي ٿي ويندي آهي

ان لاءِ دنيا ائين ئي سوچيندي آهي

موت کي اسان جو در کڙڪائڻو آهي

انسان توڙي جو سموري مخلوقن ۾

شرف وارو آهي

پر هن کي هڪ ڏينهن

موت جو گهوڙيسوار ڀالو هڻي وٺي ٿو

هو ڪري پوي ٿو

۽ پوءِ رڳو يادون ئي بچن ٿيون

بابا جيڪو پاڪستان کان به وڏو آهي

هن لاءِ اهڙا انومان روز اچن ٿا ۽ وڃن ٿا

ڪاش هن کي منهنجي صحت ملي پوي

ڪاش هن کي منهنجي جواني ملي پوي

مان اها دلي خواهش رکان ٿو

پر اهو سڀ ناممڪن آهي

بابا کي دير يا سوير

مٽيءَ ماءُ حوالي ٿيڻو آهي

بابا جيڪو پاڪستان کان به وڏو آهي

مان سوچيان ٿو

جيڪڏهن بابا مٽيءَ ماءُ حوالي ٿيندو

ته پاڪستان جو به انت ايندو

دنيا ۾ هر شيءِ جو هڪ مدو آهي

ابن خلدون به ته ائين چيو آهي

ڪجهه ڏينهن وڌڻ ويجهڻ جا

ڪجهه ڏينهن عروج جا

ڪجهه ڏينهن زوال پذيريءَ جا

۽ پوءِ انت ٿيڻو آهي

ها بابا جو انت ٿيڻو آهي

ته پاڪستان جو انت به ٿيندو

منهنجو انت به ٿيندو

ائين انت جي دنيا کان پوءِ

هڪ نئين دنيا جي شروعات

وري ان جو انت

سموري دنيا انت ڏانهن وڃي رهي آهي

منهنجو بابا

پاڪستان

مان

۽ اسين سڀ

پنهنجي پنهنجي انت ڏانهن

وڃي رهيا آهيون

انت ئي اصل آهي

انت ئي رهڻو آهي

انت ئي

سچ ته

بي انت آهي

___________

حسام ميمڻ

25/10/2012