Be Wanith Zaani Kas

Naseem Shafaie

بہٕ ؤنِتھ زانہٕ كَس

بہٕ  پٔچِس  بٲغؠ تہٕ کٔنڑؠ  دٔپھؠ  دِژ دامنہٕ تَھپھ مے

بہٕ  کٔھژٕس بٲلؠ تہٕ پُژِ  لونچہِ  لۆمُم بُتھؠ  پھرؠ  واوَن

مے  دژوو  تھَکھ  تہٕ  سہُ  كَنہِ  پَل  ژۆل  کھورٕ  تلہٕ  نیرِتھ

مے  دژٲیہِ  تھپھ  سۄ  نِچ  گاسہٕ  کٔرٹےٕ  نِیہِ  آبَن

وَکھ  تہِ  ژۆل  ڐھالہٕ  دوان  بٕتہِ روزسٕ  سفری

بہٕ  کنڈؠن،  واوٕ دَکَن، پلہٕ دَرِ دس بییہِ گاسہٕ كریچَن

چھَس  نہٕ  نکھٕ  دورِ  وۄں کھوژان  مٲرِتھ تراون

مے   یِمَن رَسہٕ رَسہٕ   کٔر گیڈ  تہٕ  بٔرِم دامنَس

باغہٕ وٲژ  شیچھ  مے  زِ  وۄلہ  تازٕ   گولابو پیٹھؠ پَکھ

بالہٕ  ؤژھ  سونتہٕ  شِحج  گِراے  ہواوٕچ  مے  وَنان

وۄلہٕ وَلَے  پان بہٕ  چٲنس  دٔدٕؤنؠ پانَس

میانہِ کھورٕ تلہٕ چہِ  زمینہِ  چھُ  ارٕمان  ڈلنَ  نا  مے  قدم

یارٕبٔلؠ  یُپ   چھُ  تھیکان  میون  جگر  آولٕنین

میانہِ  بَرٕ  تٔلؠ  چھ  ژلان  سَميہِ  صدم  ژَھاتیؠ  ژَھاتیؠ

كالہٕ ژٔکَرس  چھے  گژھان  میٲنؠ مِثل پِھرٕنے  گلہِ زیو

والہٕ واشن  چھِ  ژھینان  گنڑ  یہِ  وُڑوَ  میٲنؠ  وُچِھتھ

بَس  اَکےُ  باس  تہٕ ایحساس  بہٕ  چھُس  للٕ وان  أندری

دورِ   دُني یاه  رود  مے  ژرٕژان  ژھاین  پۆت  پۆت


Transliteration

Be Wanith Zaani Kas

Be paches baeg te kaend dhapi dech daamni tham mya

Be khaches baali te puche loanchi lomum buth phaer waavan

Mya dichaav thakh ti su kanni pal chol khori tali neereth

Mya dichai thap sou nech ghasi kreti nee aaban

Wakh te chol tchaali divan bete ruzes safri

Bi kanden waavi dakan pali dari das beyyi ghaasi krechen

Ches ni nakhi doori wun khotchaan maareth traavan

Mya yiman rassi rassi ker ghed ti borem daamnas

Bhaagi wech shesh mya zi woli taazi golabo peth pakh

Baali wech sonti shehej graai hawhech mya Wanaan

Wali walai paan bi cheenes dedwan paanas

Myani khori talchi zameeni chu arman dalan na mya kadam

Yaari bael yup chu thekaan myoon jigar aawlyanen

Myaani barri tali chu chalaan samyi sadam chayi chayi

Kaale chekras chay ghatchaan myani misl pehrnai galli zev

Waale waashan chi tchenaan ghand yi wudav mean wusheth

Bas akoi baas ti ehsaas bi chus lalli waan andrae

Daur e duniya rued mya tchere tchan chaayan poat poat


Translation

If I Declare, Discerns Who?

As I treaded through a garden,
a thorny bush grabbed my skirt.
As I ascended a hillock,
an arrogant gale tugged my scarf’s fringe
As I halted to rest awhile,
slipped away the boulder that cushioned my feet.
As my hand struggled to grasp it,
the water washed away that emaciated grass loaf
Escaped treacherously, the time as well
and perpetually I remained , journey bound too.

Now thorny bushes, rattling gales
rolling boulders or grassy loaves,
be abreast my shoulders,
scare me to death
no longer, not any more.
Bit by bit, I bundled them up
and in my hem, I buried them all.

From gardens has been sent
a word to me now
“Come walk over the roses young”,
readied for me now
From hillock has descended,
a soothing spring breeze announcing,
“Come let me wrap myself
around your being so desolate”
The earth underneath my feet
yearns to kiss the steps impending.
The speeding waters at Yaarbal
boast of my courage to curious whirlpools.
Just through my door slits
stealthily are slipping agonies of time.
The wheel of time stammers, flummoxed
even before my mention strikes.
Knots in the fishing nets are rent asunder
gaping at the majestic flights I assume.

Yet there is single consuming feeling
rearing that I am inside my bosom
that the world outside could only speculate
and rumour behind the shadows I cast.

Naseem Shafaie is an award-winning Kashmiri language poet writing about a range of topics including a woman’s perspectives of the political turmoil in Kashmir.  She has published two collections of poems Derche Machrith (1999) and Na Thsay Na Aks (2009). Her works have been translated in six languages.

Translation by Rumuz E Bekhudi.

More Stories
The Sounds of Silence: Self and Censorship in Kashmir