Translated from Balochi by Fazal Baloch
Unfinished Song Mankind is a beautiful song, A song unfinished as of yet Heart and soul of the sacred earth to conscience it gives voice It’s each word and each rhyme like flowers soft and sublime A heavenly wine in Nature's cup like morning breeze it does chime Someday 'twill touch its finest note ‘twill survive the tides of time Bestowed by the Mother Nature A blossom that lasts forever Not Forever The rule of chains and fetters Will last only for today not forever The age of tyranny and oppression Will last only for today not forever All these wealth and riches will liquidate soon This loot, pillage and plunder Will last only for today not forever Motherland Even if like a wasteland it’s all burnt and blazed, Motherland is but motherland. I crave not for the land of the sun and its flowing rivers of light, Even if it's dark like a dungeon Motherland is but motherland. The Anguished Sigh The restless sigh! Lay trapped in my collapsed chest May you become a little songbird And in every sad heart find yourself a nest Distracted Youth O, you, the distracted youth! Why you lament on the shore Go ahead and embrace the tides Wherein lies life’s lore
Akbar Barakzai was born in Shikarpur, Sindh in 1939. He is ranked amongst the proponents of modern Balochi literature. His poetry reflects the objective realities of life. Love for motherland, peace and prosperity and dignity of a man are the recurrent themes of his poetry. His love for human dignity transcends all geographical and cultural frontiers. Barakzai is not a prolific poet. In a literary career which spans over half a century, Barakzai has brought out just two anthologies of poetry, Who can Kill the Sun and The Lamps of Heads, but his poetry has depth and reaches out to human hearts with its profundity. Last year, Barakzai rejected the Pakistan Academy of Letters (PAL) award, quoting the oppressive policies meted out to his region by the government as the reason.
Fazal Baloch is a Balochi writer and translator. He has translated many Balochi poems and short stories into English. His translations have been featured in Pakistani Literature published by Pakistan Academy of Letters and in the form of books and anthologies. Fazal Baloch has the translation rights to Barakzai’s works and is in the process of bringing them out as a book.
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