Translated by Fazal Baloch
O dancer! Come and dance with ecstasy and trance to set my heart aflame. This dark and ebony night may never see dawn's light. May the jingle of your anklets never cease into silence, even for a moment. As long as lingers the hangover, Move forth, stretch out your hands and see how the colourful cash floats. Why think of honour and modesty? You're helpless, so am I. You're famished, so am I -- You, for a crumb of bread. I, of an anguished heart. Who is chaste? Who is wanton? Who is innocent? Who a sinner? I know each and everyone. Sealed are my lips. These perfidious Masters and Chiefs, shameless Mullahs and Pirs, blood sucking oppressors Are Man's eternal enemies. Keep shaking your body, till it crumbles apart and all your organs shatter like crystal on the floor. O dancer! Come and dance With ecstasy and trance And set my heart aflame.
.
Bashir Baidar belongs to the generation of the Balochi poets that emerged on the horizons of Balochi literature in the 1960s. Drawing inspiration from Progressive Writers Movement, Baidar’s poetry is widely cherished for his political undertone. So far, he has published four anthologies of his poetry. This poem is taken from Gowarbam (second edition) published by Pak News Agency Turbat in 2021.
.
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.
PLEASE NOTE: ARTICLES CAN ONLY BE REPRODUCED IN OTHER SITES WITH DUE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT TO BORDERLESS JOURNAL
Click here to access the Borderless anthology, Monalisa No Longer Smiles
Click here to access Monalisa No Longer Smiles on Kindle Amazon International
Borderless 