The Abode of 'Rishis'

Sham Lal Pardesi is a Soviet Land Nehru Award Winner

O, my God! In which nook are you hiding.

Has anyone administered morphine to you?

All your manifestations have turned shapeless.

This, your paradise is facing vicissitudes,

Today, robins, sparrows, mainas

And narcissuses shed copious tears.

Tulip-meadows have been soaked in blood,

Nishat and Shalimar gardens are in mourning,

The bosoms of spring buds are torn asunder,

The lovelorn Vitasta sings a doleful song.

The whole Valley looks flabbergasted,

Both earth and sky are in deep distress.

Lovely birds have lost their nests, bitten dust

And fled to far-off climes, sans hope.

The courtyard of Sharika spews fire and smoke,

Householders have rent their garments,

The Dal Lake appears to be blood-stained.

See! How happy the crematoriums are !

Why has the abode of rishis been devastated?

With no trace of love, loneliness reigns all over,

We have lost all our prestige in the world,

Our faces are tarred, our bodies bear blots.

Today, Sultan-ul-Aarifeen is in a rage,

The red lining of dark clouds is missing,

The soul of Lal Ded it distraught,

Nund Rishi is squirming with anguish.

Demons have buried the goddess of peace

And made our land a jungle of death.

My God! Where are you hibernating?

My forehead has been pierced with a dagger.

Translated from Kashmiri by T.N. Kaul

DISCLAIMER:

The views expressed in the Article above are Sham Lal Pardesi’s personal views and kashmiribhatta.in is not responsible for the opinions expressed in the above article.

Courtesy: Sham Lal Pardesi and  1991 December Koshur Samachar