punjabi poem/modern/paash
mandeev.sandhu
from punjab. He was shot dead by militants couple of years back. Although
the poem may have been written in a different context but I think it has a
message relevant to the present events in punjab. Especially it points to
the revolutionary spirit of punjab.
I am reproducing the punjabi
poem in english accompanied by my own translation. I confess that a
better job could have been done at the translation by someone more informed.
Sab to(n) khatarnaak Most dangerous
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kirt dee lut sab to(n) khatarnaak nahi(n) hundi
Exploitation of labor is not the most dangerous
puliss dee kut sab to(n) khatarnaak nahi(n) hundi
Police torture is not the most dangerous
gad-daari lobh dee mutth sab to(n) khatarnaak nahi(n) hundi
Betrayal and greed are not the most dangerous
baitthe sutt-e-ya(n) phade jana bura ta hai
It is bad to be arrested while sleeping
daru jehe chupp vich madhe jana bura ta hai
It is bad to live in fearlike silence
sab to(n) khatarnaak nahi(n) hunda
But it is not the most dangerous
kapat de shor vich
In the din created by dishonesty
sahi hunde-ya(n) vee dab jana bura ta(n) hai
It is bad for your voice to be lost even
though you know you are right
kise jugnoo dee lo vich padan lagg jana bura ta(n) hai
It is bad to try and read in the glow of
a firefly
sab to(n) khatarnaak nahi(n) hundaa
But it is not the most dangerous.
sab to(n) khatarnaak hunda hai
The most dangerous is
murda shanti naal bhar jana
To be filled with deathlike silence
naa hona tarap daa, sab kuchh sahan kar jana
To not feel the suffering but tolerate
everything
ghara(n) to(n) nikkalnaa kam te
To leave home for work
te kam to(n) ghar jana
and return home from work
sab to(n) khatarnaak hunda hai
The most dangerous is
sad-de supneya(n) da mur jana
The dying of our dreams
sab to(n) khatarnaak oh gharee hundi hai
Most dangerous is that watch
tuhad-de gut te chaldee hoi vee jo
Even though it is ticking away on your wrist
tuhad-dee nazar de layee kharee hundi hai
but is still from your perspective
sab to(n) khatarnaak oh akh hundi hai
Most dangerous is that eye
jo sab dekhdee hoi vee thandi te yakh hundi hai
Which, even after seeing everything,
is cold and insensitive
jis dee nazar duneeyaa nu(n) muhabbat naal chumna bhul jandi hai
Which has forgotten to kiss the world with love
jo cheeza(n) to(n) utthdee hoi anne-pan dee bhaap te dul jandee hai
Which spills over the mist of blindness rising
up from things
jo nit disde dee sadharanta nu(n) peendee hoi
which, after imbibing the ordinariness of
everyday life
ik mantak-heen duraha de gaddi-gedh vich rul jandee hai
loses itself in a mindless repetition
sab to(n) khatarnaak oh chhann hunda hai
Most dangerous is that moon
jo har katal kaand de baad
Which after every murder
sunn hoye vedhe-ya(n) vich chhadh-daa hai
rises up deserted courtyards
par tuhad-deeya(n) akh-kha(n) nu(n) mirchha(n) vang nahi(n) ladh-da
but does not irritate your eyes
sab to(n) khatarnaak oh geet hunda hai
Most dangerous is that song
tuhad-de kan-na(n) tak pahu(n)chun layee
Which, to reach your ears
jih-raa keerna ulangh-da hai
has to cross many obstacles
dare hoye lokka(n) de bar muh-re
jo vaillee dee khang khang-da hai
Which sounds like the addict's coughing
outside frightened people's homes
sab to(n) khatarnaak oh raat hundee hai
Most dangerous is that night
jo paindee hai jiundee ruh de-ya(n) akaasha(n) te
which falls on the world of the living spirit
jih-de vich siraf ullu bolde te gid-dar havank-de
in which only owls hoot and foxes cry
chimat jande sadeevee(n) nher band buhi-ya(n) chugatha(n) te
against closed dark doors
sab to(n) khatarnaak oh dishaa hundi hai
Most dangerous is that direction
jih-de vich atma da suraj dub jan-da hai
In which the sun of our spirit sets
te os dee mari hoi dhupp dee koi chhiltar
And a fragment of its dead warmth
tuhad-de jisam de purab vich khub jave
pierces the skin on the east of your body
kirt dee lut sab to(n) khatarnaak nahi(n) hundi
Exploitation of labor is not the most dangerous
puliss dee kut sab to(n) khatarnaak nahi(n) hundi
Police torture is not the most dangerous
gad-daari lobh dee mutth sab to(n) khatarnaak nahi(n) hundi
Betrayal and greed are not the most dangerous
Vocabulary:
kirt - labor ; lut - steal ; kut - beat ; khatarnaak - dangerous ;
gad-daari - betrayal ; lobh - greed ; baitthe - sitting ;
sutt-e-ya(n) - sleeping ; phade - caught ; bura - bad ; daru - scred ;
chhup - silence ; madhe - stuck ; kapat - unscruplous ; sahi - right ;
jugnoo(n) - firefly; lo - glow ; murda - corpse ; shanti - peace ;
bhar - full ; tarap - pain(emotional) ; sahan - tolerate ; ghara(n) - homes ;
nikkalnaa - to go out ; kam - work ; sad-de - ours ; supneya(n) - dreams ;
gharee - watch(clock) ; gut - wrist ; tuhad-de - your ; nazar - sight ;
akh - eye ; thandi - cold ; muhabbat - love ; chumna - kiss ; utthdee - rising ;
anne-pan - blindness ; bhap - mist ; dul - spill ; disde - visible ;
sadharanta - ordinariness ; peendee - drinking ; mantak-heen - purposeless ;
gaddi-gedh - repetition ; chhann - moon ; katal - murder ; sunn - shocked ;
vedhe-ya(n) - courtyards ; geet - song ; kan-na(n) -- ears ; pahu(n)chan -
to reach ; vaillee - addict ; khang - cough ; jiundee - living ; akaasha(n) -
skies ; ullu - owl ; gid-dar - fox ; chimat - stick ; sadeevee(n) - forever ;
nher - dark ; band - closed ; dishaa - direction ; mari - dead ;
dhupp - sunshine ; chhiltar - fragment ; jisam - body ; purab - east ;
khub - pierce.