masjid-e qur:tubah
*stanza seven*

  ....  
1) in the eyes of the stars,
your earth is the sky
 
diidah-e anjum me;N hai terii zamii;N , aasmaa;N
ah! that for centuries your atmosphere
has been without the call to prayer
 
aah ! kih .sadyo;N se hai terii fa.zaa be-a;zaa;N
     
2) in which valley is it,
at which stage is it--
 
kaun sii vaadii me;N hai , kaun sii manzil me;N hai
disaster-fomenting passion's
tough-lifed caravan?
 
((ishq-e balaa-;xez kaa qaafilah-e sa;xt-jaa;N !
     
3) Germany has already seen
the turmoil of the reform of the faith
 
dekh chukaa almanii shorish-e i.slaa;h-e dii;N
which did not leave anywhere
traces of the old form
 
jis ne nah chho;Re kahii;N naqsh-e kuhan ke nishaa;N
     
4) it became an erroneous word,
the venerableness of the religious elder
 
;harf-e ;Gala:t ban ga))ii ((i.smat-e piir-e kunisht
the delicate boat of thought
began to move further
 
aur hu))ii fikr kii kishtii-e naazuk ravaa;N
   
5) the eye of the French too
has already seen revolution
 
chashm-e firaa;Nsiis bhii dekh chukii inqilaab
from which became differently-colored
the world of the westerners
 
jis se digr-guu;N hu))aa ma;Gribiyo;N kaa jahaa;N
     
6) the Rome-descended community,
elderly through the worship of the ancient--
 
millat-e ruumii-nizhaad kuhnah-parastii se piir
through the relish of renewal
it too became young again
 
la;z;zat-e tajdiid se vuh bhii hu))ii phir javaa;N
     
7) in the spirit of the Muslim is
today that same restlessness
 
ruu;h-e musalmaa;N me;N hai aaj vuhii i.z:tiraab
this is a divine mystery,
the tongue cannot speak it
 
raaz-e ;xudaa))ii hai yih kah nahii;N saktii zabaa;N !
     
8) let's see, from the depth of
that ocean, what leaps out
 
dekhiye us ba;hr kii tah se uchhaltaa hai kyaa
how the azure dome
changes its color
 
gunbad-e niilofarii rang badaltaa hai kyaa !
   

*On to stanza eight* -- *Masjid-e Qurtubah index page*

 
 
 

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