This poem was translated by Professor Carlo Coppola as part of the MULOSIGE Translations project. You can explore our collection of Urdu Poetry here.
Machlī kī bū / Smell of Fish
Lying in his bed
He thought:
.
“I’m getting fat!
Tomorrow I’ll take my blue suit
to the tailor’s
for alteration
I’ll get a new suit in a month or two
next to the tailor’s
is that hotel!
It is where
they make that tasty fish
I’ll have some tomorrow
but the damned fishy smell
sticks to your hands
tomorrow I have to get some soap
I’ll get it
on my way home
this time Yardley
Lots of work at the office
if the boss is in a bad mood
I’ll take off
a couple days
and if I feel like it
go see the six o’clock show of
Ram and Shyam
the damned picture’s great
from nine to twelve
rummy at the club
my luck‘s been good for the past two days
won sixty rupees yesterday
thirty today
hope I’ll
win tomorrow too
Enough, I want to get some sleep
win
tomorrow too
get some sleep
ace two . . . nine . . . ten
the queen of diamonds
smell of fish
cards
joker, joker wearing a suit
hefty joker – – – –!”
.
..v.~~~
.
Thinking this
He fell asleep
But never got up again!!
Next day
as his funeral procession
passed the tailor shop
the smell of fish
From the hotel
Followed behind quite far!!!
.
From: Āk̲h̲irī din kī talāsh (Search for the Last Day). Allāhābād: Shabk̲h̲ūn Kitāb G̲h̲ar, 1968. p. 12
Lying in his bed
He thought:
.
“I’m getting fat!
Tomorrow I’ll take my blue suit
to the tailor’s
for alteration
I’ll get a new suit in a month or two
next to the tailor’s
is that hotel!
It is where
they make that tasty fish
I’ll have some tomorrow
but the damned fishy smell
sticks to your hands
tomorrow I have to get some soap
I’ll get it
on my way home
this time Yardley
Lots of work at the office
if the boss is in a bad mood
I’ll take off
a couple days
and if I feel like it
go see the six o’clock show of
Ram and Shyam
the damned picture’s great
from nine to twelve
rummy at the club
my luck‘s been good for the past two days
won sixty rupees yesterday
thirty today
hope I’ll
win tomorrow too
Enough, I want to get some sleep
win
tomorrow too
get some sleep
ace two . . . nine . . . ten
the queen of diamonds
smell of fish
cards
joker, joker wearing a suit
hefty joker – – – –!”
.
..v.~~~
.
Thinking this
He fell asleep
But never got up again!!
Next day
as his funeral procession
passed the tailor shop
the smell of fish
From the hotel
Followed behind quite far!!!
.
From: Āk̲h̲irī din kī talāsh (Search for the Last Day). Allāhābād: Shabk̲h̲ūn Kitāb G̲h̲ar, 1968. p. 12
Words in boldface are written in English in the text.
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