Ghazal

by Shamsur Rahman Faruqi

*handwritten Urdu text by the author, early 1980's*


Sights and sounds
beyond the realm of the possible
they were yours.
In the fastness of my eyes
a bright image--it belonged to you.

The lips whose touch
was healing, they were yours.
The word that was worth
a hundred pearls,
it belonged to you.

The dreams that turned away
from me, were yours
unsleeping, homeless for seven years
I belonged to you.

You whose body is
like a dusky home on air--
I, the destiny of a painting
on water, I
belonged to you.

[imkaan se aage kaa jo man:zar thaa tiraa thaa]
translated by the author