Translated by Fazal Baloch
THE MIRROR
The world has changed, so the people claim.
Knowledge and wisdom have reached great heights.
Yet my unyielding heart remains ever the same.
Dawns and dusks often ask of me,
When will the sun glide upon the sea?
When will, like the moon, the rainbow
Cast upon the earth its colourful glow?
When will stars adorn the earth's lap,
Descending from heavenly height?
When will the wind chant like a cooing dove?
When will elegies transform into songs of love?
When will lizards and moths soar like birds?
And mountains soften to cotton flakes?
Your smiles and giggles, unfurl in my songs,
When will fire rise from beneath the water?
Lightning leap from eyes, the scorching winds
Blow across as gentle as gentle breeze?
When will fig blooms scatter, a feast for all to see,
When will Man regress from the heights of grace?
When will he grasp his true essence?
When will this world birth a new dawn's light?
When will life witness such glories?
With fervent urge, I plead.
The world has changed, or so the people claim.
Yet my unyielding heart remains ever the same.
I ponder, will change ever find its way?
Mubarak Qazi (1955-2023), is one of the most prolific and popular of modern Balochi poets. He is credited with making poetry a vocation for the masses in a lucid vocabulary. In other words, Qazi is like the conscience of the people — one who addresses them in a language they can easily comprehend and decipher. Instead of maintaining a subtle or vague approach, he conveyed his sentiments in simple and unembellished language. He has published ten anthologies of poetry.
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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