RHYTHMS OF THE SOUL, By Muhammad Naveed Ahmed (Emmenay) [latest novels to read .TXT] 📗

/> City lights and plazas,
O, what a constrast,
The undefined path paves.
I tried my best to reshape,
The course of my destiny,
But I slipped, fell and got hurt,
As the Writer pulled a cape.
I came here to serve you,
But the tidal wave prevailed,
You just did not need me,
So all my efforts failed.
Oh, please let me be,
Let the noises hoot and shout,
Let darkness let loose its ghosts,
I have my Saviour beside me.

(18) CONVICTION (Translation of a ghazal by Faiz Ahmed Faiz)

O heart of mine, if I want,
Every hurdle will clear away,
In front will be destination,
With only my will to guide my way.
O gnawing pain, come, refresh the wounds,
At least I burn in my passion's flame,
But right at the time this flicker dies,
My love will shine around these mounds.
O my friend, ready I am,
To walk with you all the way,
But distract and drive me astray,
When darkness overwhelms the light ray.

(19) COPING…

It is yet another half-hearted moonlit night,
Another bout of agonising thoughts of yore,
Who would have wanted all this to happen,
Ah, who will understand why I am awake all night?
The breeze is gentle and laden with the fragrance,
Of Jasmine, just like it used to be once,
But now I don't see the sweet smelling flowers,
Nor do I see her, who was my being's essence.
So what else should I be found doing,
Apart from puffing cigars and inhaling,
A dreaded poison wondering why I am immune,
Why doesn't the stuff set fire to my being?
Let the talk about prayers remain with the faithful,
Let me not be wracked with the discourse on beliefs,
Let me be in the state of the forgetful,
And let the night be kind not cruel or vengeful.
Soon, just like the ones I loved and have lost,
I too will join the list of the doleful,
A spot and a stone will indicate where I may be,
Some tears will be shed without a why or a what.
And high up on the hill where I once used to go,
A friend will gather the others and show,
How I used to laugh and sing in the hope,
That the one I loved would be waiting below.
And he would also tell all about how I spent nights,
Talking about her who ruled my heart,
For hours and hours till the sun rose and shone,
How my beloved eclipsed my thoughts on the heights.
How I never came close to the cigar or the pipe,
How I shunned liquor and all avarice,
How her happiness only meant to me most,
He will explain why I smoke and laugh at the wise.
He will also tell why I liked Marilyn Monroe*,
And why I adored Madhubala* so much,
Why I started believing that fate can't be changed,
Why I live for today and not for tomorrow.
After having listened to whatever he will say,
Some people may reflect and pause on the way,
Some may even think I was but a fool,
But I don't care because this is my way.

*Marilyn Monroe: American actress whose real name was Norma Jean.
*Madhubala: Indian film star regarded as the most beautiful actress of her time.


(20) ME DAPHNE, DAPHNE ME

The nights have become long again,
Amid sprawling fences and barren trees,
I pause in my walks more than often,
As Nature seeks to lose and gain.
It's been years since I 've been loved,
And yet, at times it doesn't seem so,
Because whenever I stop, I can hear,
Daphne* calling out my name.
In the laughs I share with Adnan*,
Or during a chat with colleagues,
I feel she's still beside me,
Trying to heal my hidden pain.
Or, when I am alone in my room,
With a heart which just can't forget her,
Her ethereal presence I keenly feel,
And the past its rhythmic chord does stir.
In the midst of song and dance-filled times,
Her resonance floats like a chime,
And whenever Ronnie* plays old tunes,
I long to drown myself in wine.
Only those who really know me,
Can fathom how much I miss her,
So, when the heart and mind can't sleep,
I am trying, in vain, to be merry.
Let the canopy above keep circling,
Let the whirlpool of time move wildly,
Whatever happens, my soul will cry,
I am Daphne and Daphne me.

*Daphne: My schoolmate whom I cannot forget.
*Adnan: Adnan Jaffar, my friend in Karachi.
*Ronnie: Another friend in Karachi.

(21) DAWN AND DUSK

Pale dawn looms,
Starry shades deceive eyes,
Blinking, uncertain day begins.
Green, fresh deception,
Silver-lined blades cut deep,
How long is this walk?
Evening, a silhouette,
Rotting fruit smell suffocates me,
Am I near home?

(22) DAWN OF LIFE?

It looks like I may redden the dawn of life,
By bringing home the killer with his knife.
For a lifetime I sought the realm of love,
All that I could find was a void above.
In my hands is a balm, on my back goblets,
Lo, Now I know how to drown sorrow!
I wouldn't have returned to these old idols,
To cope with a wound I broke my vow.


(23) DEJA-VU (With thanks to British pop singer Al Stewart)

"It seems to me as though I've been upon this stage before
And juggled away the night for the same old crowd
These harlequins you see with me, they too have held the floor
As here once again they strut and they fret their hour
I see those half-familiar faces in the second row
Ghost-like with the footlights in their eyes
But where or when we met like this last time I just don't know
It's like a chord that rings and never dies
For infinity..."
-- Lines from Al Stewart’s “On Stage Before”

It seems as though even I have been,
Upon this stage before,
Laughing and whiling away the hours,
I cared the least about my fears
For a thousand months and more:
And having doffed the masks and shoes,
I chose to disappear:
Embarking myself on a flight in space...
And yet, while on my cosmic way,
I landed here again...
With everything locked inside my head,
The secrets of pain and gain...
The past, the present and the future threads:
Of every moment gone…
Now I am trying to figure out how,
I happened to lose it all,
When I and my loved one weren’t alone -
And never did our lives stall...
O, why this space confounds me now!
How did I drift here again?
Is a thought that keeps raking inside,
Forever in my brain,
And I see that I have nowhere to go,
Without her -- not one mile…
At nights I find that all my fears,
Enshroud me and don’t let go...
And I pine for her who smiled and said:
"Fear naught, for I with my sway,
Will love you and whatever life offers,
Will be with you, wherever you go..."
Ah, how I miss her now at every step,
Her assurance and her grace!
And even though time now connives with fate
And keeps her hidden somewhere,
I shan't give up...not for a day,
My quest to relocate her:
This is a vow made with my self,
And find her, come what may...
Well, why doesn't some voice with harp and song,
Refill the gaping void?
Recreating that which seems no more:
The colours in all their shades…
Tell me, can't I, like Khidr*,
Turn the tables on Hades?
And do what none, they say, can do,
Or succeeded before...
Why not free all that's trapped inside,
Within me for all these years?
Why not revel with death again,
And mock this sad encore?
Ah! That I had not fallen here,
To drift between life and death,
And to suffer Karma's pangs:
In body and mind and soul!
How I seek an escape route,
From this vast, unending whole...
O, where's Eden, will the Guide* tell me please?
Or at least give me a clue;
To the paradise I once shared with her,
And wanted nothing more...
A song sung on this stage before,
May it resound yet again,
And bring back all that I have lost,
My soul-mate – my only gain…
And return us both to the blissful realm,
Forever, for all the while -
For infinity....

1) Khidr or Khizr*: The angel who is believed to have sipped the Water of Life as mentioned in the Holy Bible and the Holy Quran.
* Green Guide -- the Arabic description of Khidr.


(24) DIANA, THE PRINCESS OF HEARTS

The years have so quietly slipped by,
When a fatal car crash claimed Princess Di:
Born among royals but simple in her bearing,
Lady Diana was like a fresh rose of spring.
Growing up, acquainted with the facts of life,
Fate had destined for her struggle and strife.
Demure and charming in an enchanting way,
Happily teaching children read and play.
She was not after riches, nor did she seek fame,
Knew nothing of power, the game for a name.
Many were the men whose hearts did flutter,
When in attendance, in company or beside her.
One of such men was Prince Charles of England,
Who was stunned by her beauty and sought her hand.
The Prince wooed her in all the ways he knew,
She fell for him thinking that his love was true.
The royal wedding was the talk of the lands,
A royal romance turned into a ceremony - grand.
Many assumed that they were made for each other,
Nobody thought that it would end in disaster.
It is surprising to witness storms in smooth seas,
And so it was to see the ruin of a family.
Charles and his Princess were drifting apart,
Tempting women and men were playing their part.
The Princess was loved and admired by one and all,
Those who hated her - they planned her downfall.
They spread scandals and gossips and rumours -
Was she 'faithful or not' to the man who was hers.
That she did not fit in with the ways of the royal,
But her endearing manners won the hearts of people.
Wherever she went folks thronged to see her,
None in her circle that could compare with her.
The Prince was busy in another romantic encounter,
He was spending his time with Camilla Parker.
The heartbroken Princess did try her best,
To make her marriage work - she failed the test.
The flower spreading its fragrance all around,
Diana, like an autumn leaf, fell on the ground.
Sad and unhappy she was simply helpless,
Unable to do anything to sort out the mess.
She sought solace helping the downtrodden souls,
Desperately seeking refuge from royal ghouls.
It was sad to watch her wrecked phase of life,
All that was piercing her heart like a knife.
It was then heard that a man called Dodi,
Had come to save her and make her happy.
The people who liked her were glad to see,
That she was once more joyous