S. R. Faruqi:

(1) My tears rage and flow; their force keeps me in water all the time.
Like a fish I travel and go round everywhere under water.

(2) Last night that envy of the moon was bathing in open water.
The waves rose intertwined with the moonlight.

(3) Her body so elegant could be seen
like a pearl of the first water glistening under water.

(4) In spite of my tears there was no greening for the plant of my longings,
although like coral it was always under water.

(5) The wave of tears is a sword, and in fear of it
my rival hid under his shield like a turtle and dove under water.

(6) Don't take the pure and chaste of heart for granted just because they sit low.
Take care and give full thought before you lower yourself under water.

[Since the water always sits below the bank or shore, the poet creates the conceit that it is full of humility. It chooses a lowly place to sit, even though its clarity shows that it is pure (of heart). More generally: do not underestimate water simply because it sits lower than the bank on which you stand.]

(7) The fire of love killed Ravana by burning him to a cinder,
although that demon's house was none other than Lanka right there under water.

(8) In the deluge of tears last night my heart was washed away from my breast.
How sad that I didn't even get a sign of what was happening under water.

(9) Enduring hardship and gentle patience enhance your value, even if they mean dying:
aloewood is just a block of wood if it doesn't sink under water.

[Aloewood is a valuable incense; it is heavier than water.]

(10) How I wish that face of beautiful complexion would remain in my wet eyes!
Flowers keep fresh much longer when their stems are under water.

(11) Unlike the candle, weeping doesn't douse the fire in my heart.
The only remedy perhaps is to bury me under water.

(12) My heart writhing and rolling in gushing tears is nothing novel really.
Expert swimmers perform hundreds of tricks when they enter under water.

(13) Just as flower petals float down a water channel,
my tears make pieces of my heart flow in water.

(14) Annul and obliterate your self in his very being,
just as a drop of water is invisible in a body of water.

(15) My tears will cease only when that pearl leaves my eyes, Mir.
I wept so much that up to my middle I am under water.

[The pearl is the image of the beloved, or the person of the beloved herself. The Urdu idiom supports both interpretations. The beloved "lives" in the eyes insofar as her image lives in the eyes.]

 

FWP:

(inspired by SRF's translation)

(1) The turbulence of tears keeps me, night and day, in the water.
Like a fish, I go around everywhere in the water.

(2) At night when that 'envy of the moon' used to bathe in the water,
waves rose and mingled with the moon, in the water.

(3) Along with that beauty, her body could be seen,
the way a moist pearl glimmers in the water.

(4) Not even from tears did it become green, the tree of longing--
although, like coral, this tree was in the water.

(5) The wave of tears is the kind of sword-- from fear of which, the enemy
Like a turtle, hides under his shield in the water.

(6) Don't disdain something pure of heart because it sits below you.
Think carefully before you immerse yourself in the water.

(7) The fire of passion burned Ravana to death,
although that demon had a house like Lanka, in the water.

(8) Last night, in the turmoil of tears, my heart flowed away from my breast.
Alas, I didn't know the effect of being in the water!

(9) Only forbearance brings dignity, even if it costs one's life.
Aloewood is just a block of wood, if it doesn't sink in the water.

(10) If only that beautiful face would remain in my eyes!
A flower stays fresh and moist in the water.

(11) I'm not like a candle-- if I merely weep, the fire remains in my heart.
Better perhaps to take me and submerge me in the water.

(12) Weeping and wailing, my restless heart does nothing special--
hundreds of expert swimmers show off their skills in the water.

(13) Just as flower petals float down a water channel,
my tears make pieces of my heart flow along in the water.

(14) Merge yourself into His existence
The way a drop of water can't be seen in the water

(15) If that pearl would leave my eyes, then the tears might stop, Mir.
I've wept so much that I'm up to my waist in the water.

 

Zahra Sabri:

Zahra Sabri is a special guest translator for this site.

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