Translated from Balochi by Fazal Baloch
A POEM
Like a mat, we laid out the night,
And birds adorned the jungle around their feet,
Heart —- an ocean, and within the ocean,
Each tide wore shackles around their feet.
A POEM
Everyday,
Time slips through my hands,
Like millet grains.
Would that you were a bird,
You'd be my guest!
A SCENE
Crystalline shards
Of shattered smiles,
Once they pierce the eyes,
The world, like a teardrop,
Seeks an escape
Towards the lap.
A POEM
Just an evening,
From the seasons of your eyes,
Let my heart
Soar for a moment,
With the birds of silence.
STARS
If one night,
Suddenly,
Stars scatter across my eyes,
I’ll cast my eyes at your lap,
And spread the sky,
Upon the earth.
WAITING
With the same pace and rhythm,
They sail ahead --
Yet the moon reaches the shore,
Long before the boats.
MELODIES AT DAWN
“Is there someone, each night who comes,
Sprinkling on the city's somnolent birds,
The colourful melodies of her words?”
“What secrets do I hold? What sights I’ve seen?
In the ambiance, a beauty sifted through,
Casting a strange, enchanting sheen,
Painting hues on voices, wings and silence.”
WORLD
In a bottle,
Carved from your beauty
I’ve preserved for me
A lush green moment of spring --
A nest,
In the nest,
A sweet birdsong.
A window,
Every morning it opens
To a melodious overture of sea-waves
And a cold, bright moment of solitude --
Like a tear drop,
The size of a tiny pearl,
Sustaining you, me and my God.
Munir Momin is a contemporary Balochi poet widely cherished for his sublime art of poetry. Meticulously crafted images, linguistic finesse and profound aesthetic sense have earned him a distinguished place in Balochi literature. His poetry speaks through images, more than words. Momin’s poetry flows far beyond the reach of any ideology or socio-political movement. Nevertheless, he is not ignorant of the stark realities of life. The immenseness of his imagination and his mastery over the language rescues his poetry from becoming the part of any mundane narrative. So far Munir has published seven collections of his poetry and an anthology of short stories. His poetry has been translated into Urdu, English and Persian. He also edits a literary journal called Gidár.
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.
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