Aye chhat ke katoray pe baithe hue parinde,
Zara meri bhi sun, aye azad hawa ke bande!
Jis tarah tu mujhe door se chhota sa nazar aata hai,
Kya jaane, apni jagah se main bhi tujhe aisa hi nazar aata hoon?
Teri nazar mein bhi shayad meri hasti chhoti si hogi,
Jaise meri nazar mein teri soorat nanhi si hogi.
Tere paas toh qudrat ki ajab saugaat hai,
Tere har simt khula aasman, har taraf kainaat hai.
Jee chahe toh ud jaaye, jidhar chahe nikal jaaye,
Na raah ki koi bandish, na koi tujhe rok paaye.
Main chahoon bhi toh parwaaz bhar nahin sakta,
Apni zameen chhod kar aasman chhoo nahin sakta.
Tu be-fikr, be-khauf, be-parwah sa rehta hai,
Na kal ki koi fikr, na aaj ka gham sehta hai.
Jidhar dil chahe tera, udhar hi chala jaata hai,
Main har qadam pe sau andeshon mein ghir jaata hoon,
Tu jee leta hai lamha, main mustaqbil mein kho jaata hoon.
Tu idhar-udhar se daana chugta chala jaata hai,
Na mol, na tol, na koi kharch uthata hai.
Teri dastarkhwan toh har soo bichi rehti hai,
Meri rozi magar fikron mein ghiri rehti hai.
Tu na ulajhta hai kisi se, na takraar karta hai,
Koi saamne aaye toh bas parwaaz bharta hai.
Na behas ki talab, na daleelon ka bojh uthata hai,
Main guftagu mein phans kar khud ko hi ganwata hoon,
Tu ek udaan se bach nikalta hai, main ulajhta hi jaata hoon.
Tu doston ki mehfil mein bhi kitna kam bolta hai,
Khamoshi ke saaye mein apna har lamha kholta hai.
Kaash mujh mein bhi teri si yeh aadat aa jaaye,
Har baat pe bolne ki talab kahin kho jaaye.
Jannati hawa bhi teri humsafar bani rehti hai,
Tere paron ko chhoo kar tere saath hi behti hai.
Tu uski lehron mein jhoomta, machalta chala jaata hai,
Main apni hi saanson ke bojh tale reh jaata hoon.
Tu subah ki shabnam sa, tu shaam ka ujala hai,
Teri saadgi mein bhi husn ka ek nirala hawala hai.
Har aan, har ada mein tu dilkash nazar aata hai,
Tera wajood bhi jaise koi naghma sunaata hai.
Aur sirf husn hi nahin, tu kaam bhi aata hai,
Faslon ke dushman keedon ko chun-chun kar khaata hai.
Kisaan ki mehnat ka khamosh muhafiz hai tu,
Insaan ki duniya ke liye kitna mufeed hai tu.
Aye nanhe parinde, tujh mein kitni khoobiyan hain,
Tere daaman mein jaise simti saari khushiyan hain.
Na daulat ki talab, na shohrat ka junoon,
Na ana ka bojh, na nafrat ka koi sukoon.
Na rasm-o-riwaaj ki zanjeer, na duniya ka sawaal,
Bas khula aasman, hawa aur tera apna khayaal.
Toh phir aye Khaliq, yeh raaz samajh nahin aata,
Itni khoobiyon ke baad bhi insaan kyun tarasta jaata?
Kyun uske hisse mein itni majbooriyan aayin?
Kyun uski raahon mein itni bandishein chhaayin?
Jab itna haseen banaya tu ne is parinde ko,
Toh kyun na waisi hi fitrat di insaan ke seene ko?
Kyun na insaan bhi be-fikr, be-parwaaz hota?
Kyun na uska bhi har din ek naya aaghaz hota?
Kyun na woh bhi hawaon ke sang beh jaata,
Jidhar chahta, udhar apna jahaan basaata?
Shayad Khaliq ne insaan ko aqal se nawaza,
Magar usi aqal ne uske gird ek daaira bana daala.
Parinde ko de di parwaaz, insaan ko diye khayaal,
Woh udta raha be-fikr, yeh sochta raha har haal.
Aye chhat ke katoray pe baithe hue parinde,
Tu chhota sahi, magar kitna bada hai mujh se, aye azad hawa ke bande!
Elaham
Translation
O little bird, perched on the bowl upon my roof,
Come lend an ear; I have a thought, perhaps a truth.
From where I sit, you seem so small, a speck against the sky;
Perhaps from where you perch, I too seem small to your eye.
Perhaps you look upon me as I look upon you,
A little life below the clouds, beneath the endless blue.
How rich your gifts, how free your flight, how wide your world of blue;
The sky belongs to you alone, with nothing to pursue.
You spread your wings and fly away wherever you may please,
No walls to block your onward path, no chains to curb your ease.
I long to rise, to leave the ground, to soar beyond the blue;
But earth has bound my feet with ties I cannot wander through.
You live so free, so unconcerned, untouched by fear or care;
No thoughts of what tomorrow brings, no burdens you must bear.
You follow where your fancy leads, wherever you may roam;
While I am lost in endless thoughts, a stranger even at home.
You live the moment, light and free, beneath the open sky;
I spend my days in anxious thought, forever asking why.
You pick your food from here and there, wherever it may lie;
No price to pay, no purse to reach, no need to wonder why.
Your table is the open earth, your feast is everywhere;
While I must toil for every meal, with worry as my fare.
You never argue, never fight, nor seek to prove you’re right;
When trouble comes, you spread your wings and vanish out of sight.
No heated words, no endless claims, no quarrels to prolong;
While I get tangled in debate, unable to move on.
Among your friends, you speak so little, quiet as the breeze;
You never feel the pressing need to fill the air with pleas.
Oh, if I too could learn from you, and let my words grow few,
Not answer every passing thought, nor speak when silence will do.
The heavenly breeze is ever near, your constant friend and guide;
It brushes softly past your wings and dances by your side.
You ride its waves so light and free, as though you own the air;
While I am bound by earthly things, with little room to spare.
You shine as lovely as the dawn, as charming as the day;
Each moment lends a different grace, each glance a different way.
No jewels adorn your simple form, no artifice, no show;
The beauty of the world itself is yours wherever you go.
And more than beauty, you bring good to fields of golden grain;
You feed on insects that would blight the farmer’s hard-won gain.
A silent guardian of the crops, you serve without a fee;
A tiny friend of humankind, as useful as can be.
O little bird, how blessed you are, how rich your gifts appear;
It seems that all the joys of life have found their dwelling here.
No thirst for wealth, no hunger for the fleeting crown of fame;
No pride to guard, no hate to feed, no burden of a name.
No rules to bind, no chains to bear, no worldly debts to pay;
Just open skies and gentle winds, and freedom every day.
And so, dear Creator, tell me why this mystery should be:
With all these gifts bestowed on birds, why not the same on me?
Why give mankind a restless mind, a heart that aches and yearns?
Why bind his feet with endless ties, while every birdling turns?
If such a wealth of grace can dwell in one so small and slight,
Why not give man the selfsame wings, the freedom of your light?
Why can’t a man be free as well, and wander where he may?
Why can’t he greet the rising sun with joy in every day?
Why can’t he ride upon the breeze, with nothing to restrain,
And find a home beneath the sky, beyond the reach of pain?
Perhaps You gave mankind a mind, with reason for its art,
But reason built a thousand walls around his restless heart.
You gave the bird its wings to fly, man thoughts that never cease;
The bird flies free beneath the sky, while man forgets his peace.
O little bird, perched on that bowl, so tiny to my eye,
You may be small upon the earth, but vast beneath the sky.
And as I watch you from below, one truth comes clear to me:
You may be small, my little friend, but you are freer than me!
Elham
I sat in our garden, bird watching (a passive passion) under the pleasant cast sky, the evening mild moist laden breeze touching my body; the heart said the rest!
