07stanza

HALI: "JUSTICE FOR THE SILENT" (1905)

STANZA SEVEN meter: = = - = / = = - = / = = - = / = = - =	sātvāñ band
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1a) the age has passed when there was no sympathy for you anywhere 1b) the sky was against you, the earth was hostile to you	guzre the jug tum par kih hamdardī nah thī tum se kahīñ thā munḥarif tum se falak bar-gashtah thī tum se zamīñ

2a) the world's wise men and sages were all trembling with fear 2b) lest somehow the shadows of knowledge would fall on you [I'd think it would be jāʾeñ ]	dunyā ke dānā aur ḥakīm is ḳhauf se larzāñ the sab tum par mubādā ʿilm kī paṛ jāʾe parchhāʾeñ kahīñ

3a) may it not be that between man and woman, no difference would remain! 3b) to acquire education and become a man is not creditable to you	aisā nah ho mard aur ʿaurat meñ rahe bāqī nah farq taʿlīm pā kar ādmī bannā tumheñ zebā nahīñ

4a) they sang so many songs of abuse about you in the world 4b) you yourself finally began to believe what the world was saying	yāñ tak tumhārī hajv ke gāʾe gāʾe dunyā meñ rāg tum ko bhī dunyā kī kahan kā ā gayā āḳhir yaqīñ

5a) gradually you became despairing about knowledge and skill 5b) [urdu 9] you told your heart, 'we ourselves were not worthy of knowledge'	ʿilm-o-hunar se raftah raftah ho gaʾīñ māyūs tum samjhā liyā dil ko kih ham ḳhvud ʿilm ke qābil nah thīñ

6a) the humiliations that are unavoidable for ignorance in the world-- 6b) you accepted for your spirit all those humiliations	jo żillateñ lāzim haiñ dunyā meñ jahālat ke liye vuh żillateñ sab nafs par apne gavārā tum ne kīñ

7a) men didn't think for even one day that you were worthy of conversation/action 7b) you were called wives, but you became and remained servant-girls	samjhā nah tum ko ek din mardoñ ne qābil bāt ke tum bīviyāñ kahlāʾīñ lekin lauñḍiyāñ ban kar rahīñ

8a) finally your silence pricked the hearts of the people with hearts 8b) it's the truth that justice to silence can't be stopped from being done [literally: justice does not remain without being done]	āḳhir tumhārī chup diloñ meñ ahl-e dil ke chhub gaʾī sach hai kih chup kī dād āḳhir be-mile rahtī nahīñ


9a) at length the age brought to consciousness those sunk in sleep 9b) at your endurance, the ocean of mercy began to roil	bāre zamānah nīnd ke mātoñ ko lāyā hosh meñ āyā tumhāre ṣabr par daryā-e raḥmat josh meñ

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