This poem was translated by Professor Carlo Coppola as part of the MULOSIGE Translations project. You can explore our collection of Urdu Poetry here.
Fankār / Artist
The songs I wrote for your love,
I’ve brought them today to the bazaar.
The songs on which you had laid your love’s foundation
Will today be auctioned in the shops.
Today, everything will be weighed in silver balance;
My thoughts, my poetry, my feelings.
The songs which were dedicated to you—
Poverty has decided to turn them into a commodity;
And hunger, in return for the stories of your beautiful face,
Desires certain necessities.
See, in this battleground of labour and capital,
Even my songs cannot remain mine;
The sight of you may be owned by a wealthy man;
Even the sketches of you cannot remain mine.
The songs I wrote for your love,
I’ve brought them today to the bazaar.
.
From: Talk̲h̲iyān̲ (Bitternesses). Dihlī: Panjābī Pustak Bhanḍār, 1963. pp. 101 – 102
The songs I wrote for your love,
I’ve brought them today to the bazaar.
The songs on which you had laid your love’s foundation
Will today be auctioned in the shops.
Today, everything will be weighed in silver balance;
My thoughts, my poetry, my feelings.
The songs which were dedicated to you—
Poverty has decided to turn them into a commodity;
And hunger, in return for the stories of your beautiful face,
Desires certain necessities.
See, in this battleground of labour and capital,
Even my songs cannot remain mine;
The sight of you may be owned by a wealthy man;
Even the sketches of you cannot remain mine.
The songs I wrote for your love,
I’ve brought them today to the bazaar.
.
From: Talk̲h̲iyān̲ (Bitternesses). Dihlī: Panjābī Pustak Bhanḍār, 1963. pp. 101 – 102
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