Translated from Balochi by Fazal Baloch
In the city,
Those who know me,
Look at me through two different perspectives:
"You're peerless,
So pure,
We need souls like yours
To grace our world,
May your shadow endure forever."
"If more souls like yours,
Doomed and dark,
Taint our land,
Our trees will wither,
You're a stain, a blight
On the fabric of our world,
May you end up in shadows unseen."
Yet as I weigh my deeds
And ponder deeply,
A voice echoes deep within me,
Unfurling the truth:
“I am a human,
A fragment of my heart is housed by God
And the devil seeks to take over the rest.”
In this city,
Those who know me
Look at me through two different perspectives.
For if I am truly a human,
How can I be stripped of my share
From either?
Manzur Bismil is a prominent Balochi poet. He emerged on the literary scene in the early 1990s and soon rose to fame, creating a niche for himself in the pantheon of the Balochi poets. He is widely known for his neo-classic style, especially in his verses. So far he has published eight anthologies of his poetry. This poem is taken from the second edition of “Hoshken Kaaneeg” published in 2017.
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 of of this poem from the poet.
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