THE BEST OF MAHJOOR
(Selections from Mahjoor's Kashmiri Poems)
J&K Academy of Art, Culture and Languages, Srinagar, 1989  
Translated by: Triloki Nath Raina
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Poem #1&2

Poem #3&4

Poem #5&6

Poem #7&8

Poem #9&10

Poem #11&12

Poem #13&14

Poem #15&16

Poem #17&18

Poem #19&20

Poem #21&22

Poem #23&24

Poem #25&26

Poem #27&28

Poem #29&30

Poem #31&32

Poem #33&34

Poem #35&36

Poem #37&38

Poem #39&40

Poem #41&42

Poem #43&44

Poem #45&46

Poem #47&48

Poem #49&50

Poem #51&52

Poem #53&54

Poem #57&58

Poem #59&60

Poem #61&62

Poem #63&64

Poem #65&66

Poem #67&68

Poem #69&70

Poem #71&72

Poem #73&74

Poem #75&76

Poem #77&78

Poem # 55

 
mani manz ganeyam raay chaanee.........

 
Beloved, your lithe grace maddens me - my heart
Brimming over with love and longing !
 
Your arch glance, O thief of love,
Makes me love you to distraction !
 
Who really has your heart - friends you feed
On promises, or those on whom you lavish your time ?
 
Some have sought retreat in distant nooks,
Some roam over every mountain range,
Seeking you, following your elusive shadow !
 
Leave this hostile place, my love, and settle down
Where you always ought to be - a village of friends !
 
The early breeze approached the flowers,
Feather-touched them in soft and shadowy waves,
Presenting your demand for love !
 
Mahjoor finds whole villages
Loud in praise of your beauty;
And the deep forests too, my love,
Are breathless in your praise !
 
 

Poem # 56

 
maara mati vaara vati laag myon paan........

 
O Lord of Love, I surrender myself,
Body and soul to your will ! Show me
The right path, and sustain my failing courage !
 
The buds are amazed when they behold
Sunset fire and morning dew,
Black night and radiant flowering dawn.
 
Lightning struck my nest, high up
On the branch, setting it ablaze.
A fine illumination, the gardener thought !
 
Love's alchemy changed my dross into gold,
When its flames enveloped me from top to toe.
How false the fear my friends had fed me on !
 
How to one, whose mind is not awake,
Can winter and summer be different things ?
For what to him are feasts of flowers ?
 
The flower prides itself on beauty, and claims
Its fragrance, lovely Messes and its mole
Are a soothing balm for broken hearts.
 
Ephemeral, however, is his glory !
Death's harbingers, storm and decay,
Soon pursue him to an early grave.
 
The bulbul to the flower 'Superb is your beauty,
But for one defect - you don't have speech !
And no one survives here without this gift !'
 
Remember, life 's a queer blend of opposites -
Song and lamentation, bustle and haste,
Now dance, now clangorous din rending the air !
 
Bulbul, the householder, sees the flower,
His guest, arrive when day dawns, and depart
At dusk. He waits for the end of it all.
 
O Mahjoor, become the spring breeze
Moving towards the garden with slow steps,
And keep on waking up sleeping souls !
 

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