CONTRIBUTION: Zindagi se Darte Ho?/Afraid of Life, Are You?
N. M. Rashid, born Nazar Muhammad Janjua (1 August 1910 – 9 October 1975), was a poet’s poet; “he was a poet of qualities, not of the people.” He was one of the first poets to introduce aazaad nazm (free verse), which opened doors for flexibility in poetic expression in Urdu. In a contemporary scenario, this poet sounds like a supportive friend with good ears and intentions gently ushering another, suffering friend out of the darkness and back to the present while also giving them a reality check. “Zindagi se Darte Ho?” (Afraid of Life, Are You?), the introspective, stream-of-consciousness style poem, captures the the fear of self-awareness, the fear of “girebaan mein jhaankna” (looking inward), the fear of reality as it is presented.
Zindagi se dartey ho
Zindagi to tum bhi ho zindagi to hum bhi hain
Zindagi se dartey ho
Afraid of life, are you?
You are life, and so am I
You are afraid of life!
Aadmi se dartey ho
Aadmi to tum bhi ho aadmi to hum bhi hain
Aadmi zabaan bhi hai aadmi bayaan bhi hai
Us se tum nahin dartey
Harf aur maani ke rishta-ha-e-aahan se aadmi hai vaabasta
Aadmi ke daaman se zindagi hai vaabasta
Us se tum nahin dartey
“An-kahi” se dartey ho
Jo abhi nahin aayi us ghari se dartey ho
Us ghari ki aamad ki aagahi se dartey ho
Afraid of man, are you?
You are human, and so am I
Man is prose, and man is an embodiment
That does not terrify you
Man is tethered to the unyielding bond of language and understanding
Life is in control of man
That does not terrify you
Doesn’t that frighten you
Afraid of the untold, are you?
The moment yet to come intimidates you
Acknowledging its arrival terrorizes you
Pehley bhi to guzrey hain
Daur na-rasayi ke “be-riya” khudayi ke
Phir bhi yeh samajhtey ho hech arzu-mandi
Yeh shab-e-zabaan-bandi hai rah-e-Khuda-vandi
Tum magar yeh kya jaano
Lab agar nahin hiltey haath jaag uthhtey hain
Haath jaag uthhtey hain raah ka nishaan ban kar
Noor ki zubaan ban kar
Haath jaag uthhtey hain subh ki azaan ban kar
Many eras have been witnessed before
– Of failure and artless sovereignty –
Yet you consider ambition unworthy
This night of silence is the way to divinity
But how will you know?
If the lips fail to utter, the hands come alive
The hands come alive to show the path
As bearers of light
The hands call to God like the azaan (call at dawn)
Raushni se dartey ho
Raushni to tum bhi ho raushni to hum bhi hain
Raushni se dartey ho
Afraid of the light, are you?
You are light, and so am I
You are afraid of the light!
Sheher ki faseelon par
Dev ka jo saaya tha paak ho gaya aakhir
Raat ka libaada bhi
Chaak ho gaya aakhir khaak ho gaya aakhir
Izhdihaam-e-insaan se fard ki navaa aayi
Zaat ki sadaa aayi
Raah-e-shauq mein jaisey raah-rau ka khoon lapkey
Ik nayaa junoon lapkey
Aadmi chhalak uthhey
Aadmi hansey dekho sheher phir basey dekho
The boundaries of the city
are cleansed of evil influences
Even the veil of night
Has been torn and turned to dust
From the masses, individuality echoes
The sound of a soul is heard
As if a lover’s passion surges on the path of love,
A newfound enthusiasm surges
Man becomes lively
See, he is laughing; see, the city is flourishing again
Tum abhi se dartey ho
Haan abhi to tum bhi ho
Haan abhi to hum bhi hain
Tum abhi se dartey ho
Afraid of the present, are you?
Yes, you are present
Yes, so am I
You are afraid of the present!
Contributed by Syeda Ali, communication major
