This poem was translated by Professor Carlo Coppola as part of the MULOSIGE Translations project. You can explore our collection of Urdu Poetry here.
Bū-yi ādamzād / Smell of Mankind
— From where has this smell of Man suddenly come?
Jungle demons stand stone-still
Footprints turn to fetters on their feet at the smell of Man!
.
— In dim jungle meadows
In the moonlight, they dance without fear, without sorrow
But now, their feet are numb, hands cold
Eyes petrified, without light
A single whiff has turn them white with fear
For them, one smell is enough
Who is a match for them?
.
— A shadow, hidden in the Tree of Time
.
Among the branches of months and years?
Looks on them through tangled silent branches
One smell of him and they panic, they turn to wax!
Yes, tonight Man will descend
And the demons’ valor will be shattered!
.
With M. H. K. Qureshi
.
From: Lā = insān. (X = Man). Lāhaur: Munīr Niyāzī, 1969. pp. 82 – 83
— From where has this smell of Man suddenly come?
Jungle demons stand stone-still
Footprints turn to fetters on their feet at the smell of Man!
.
— In dim jungle meadows
In the moonlight, they dance without fear, without sorrow
But now, their feet are numb, hands cold
Eyes petrified, without light
A single whiff has turn them white with fear
For them, one smell is enough
Who is a match for them?
.
— A shadow, hidden in the Tree of Time
.
Among the branches of months and years?
Looks on them through tangled silent branches
One smell of him and they panic, they turn to wax!
Yes, tonight Man will descend
And the demons’ valor will be shattered!
.
With M. H. K. Qureshi
.
From: Lā = insān. (X = Man). Lāhaur: Munīr Niyāzī, 1969. pp. 82 – 83
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