Sunday, August 21, 2011

Pencil 2


A polio-stricken hand
Asks a broken blue pencil,
Lying next to one foot:
Can you write?

The pencil hesitates and says:
Yes, I can write,
And make your pictures too, but only if
You can remove the plaster of my flail body,
With the help of a pen-knife.
Surprised
i keep listening to Husain Bakhsh
on Zee TV
Leave the cup and flask...
..!



Tr. Baidar Bakht 

Reference of a ghazal by Ghalib (1797-1869) translated as
Though i can't move my hands, my eyes can still see;
Leave the cup and the flask in front of me.
at

1 comment:

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

Baidar Bakht:: Translator of Urdu Poetry par excellence

  BAIDAR BAKHT is Adjunct Professor of Civil Engineering at the Universities of Toronto and Manitoba, Canada. He translat...

  • Pencil 3
    My daughter Little dear daughter Lights a pencil With a sharpener. The sky of the white paper Begins to be filled with light. The black bird...
  • Baidar Bakht:: Translator of Urdu Poetry par excellence
      BAIDAR BAKHT is Adjunct Professor of Civil Engineering at the Universities of Toronto and Manitoba, Canada. He translat...
  • The Last Will of the Dalit Poet
    A dalit poet Leaves several things behind: A paper dripping wet with blood, A black sun On the night’s head, A river of blood, A lantern of...