This poem was translated by Professor Carlo Coppola as part of the MULOSIGE Translations project. You can explore our collection of Urdu Poetry here.

Professor Carlo Coppola, Oakland University

 Ab koʻī gulshan nah ujṛe / Now Let No Garden Be Spoiled

Now let no garden be spoiled; the country is free, 

The soul of the Ganges and the body of the Himalayas are free;

.

Let the fields grow gold; let the valleys scatter pearls;

Today the land of Gautam and the woods of Tulsi are free.

.

Let the craftsmen to show their skill;

Art, whose hands had been cut, is now free.

.

Let the conch shells sound in the temple, the call to prayer sound from the mosque;

The faith of the shaikh and the religion of the brahmin are free;

.

Whatever devastation there is, let it not remain in this land.

Today for everyone the wealth of earth is free.

.

From: Gātā jāʼe banjārā (The Gypsy Passes by Singing). Dihlī: Panjābī Pustak Bhanḍār, 1964. p. 123

Ab koʻī gulshan nah ujṛe  is quoted in full in Urdu Poetry, 1935-1970

             

Now let no garden be spoiled; the country is free, 

The soul of the Ganges and the body of the Himalayas are free;

.

Let the fields grow gold; let the valleys scatter pearls;

Today the land of Gautam and the woods of Tulsi are free.

.

Let the craftsmen to show their skill;

Art, whose hands had been cut, is now free.

.

Let the conch shells sound in the temple, the call to prayer sound from the mosque;

The faith of the shaikh and the religion of the brahmin are free;

.

Whatever devastation there is, let it not remain in this land.

Today for everyone the wealth of earth is free.

.

From: Gātā jāʼe banjārā (The Gypsy Passes by Singing). Dihlī: Panjābī Pustak Bhanḍār, 1964. p. 123

Ab koʻī gulshan nah ujṛe  is quoted in full in Urdu Poetry, 1935-1970