Farewell

Poet seems to b a lot heart broken n tried to touch the readers heart but his frequent ``Baby I miss You `` is , according to me, the bigget hindrance i doin that..........

Romair, the clueless field marshall, after writing 10 paragraphs and 5000 words about how useless the debate on secularism and religion is produced this gem:

``How about discussing economics and poetry and literature and science and business and construction and art and industry and philanthrapy and history and medicine etc. Something that people can use to raise their standard of living........ ``


People like Romair and others who follow this school of thought will never get this simple point: All of the issues mentioned above... Economics, poetry, literature, science, business, construction, art and Industry... DON`T THRIVE UNDER THEOCRACIES

Religious DOGMA closes down all these fine endeavours. Secularism in some form is required for the enhancement of all these fine fields that Romair wants to talk about...

How about Evolution... could you discuss Evolution in an Islamic country... after the 1977 coup... not a single word of EVOLUTION has been taught in any Pakistani state owned school... Lest I say more...

So get a life... Romair and his supporters...

Some Punjab poetry from the back of Trucks in India

Sadak kinaaray bulbul baithi
Muhn vich dana challi ( corn) da
Ve drevra mainu naal le chal
mera dil nahi lagda kalli da

Some Pathvaari poetry for you guys

Alif aa brasat deya paaniyan ve
Gali yar vali langh ayan e tu
Jithey yar sohaney de sun kadam paye
Us khaq nal badan rang ayan e tun

Jeem jail khana Rawal pindi wala
gino tan kothian jidiyan hain chaali

(Sorry I forgot rest of it )

Dear Romair

Some sadak chaap multani/jhangi poetry for you.

Bagh teday da je mein santara howan
Tut shakhon neevan theevan
Tusan sohaniyan they hath vich aa ke
daliyan daliyan theevan

Chowk Staff #: I have been plagarized (as has your site)!!

The Friday Times - the weekly conglemeration of Pakistani writers who think they can write, but actually cannot - has quoted my translation that I submitted to Chowk, of Bulleh Shah`s work, without quoting you, nor me!

The following was printed by The Friday Times, from Chowk, without my permssion. It is word for word my translation. Could you kindly send Friday Times a nasty email, on my behalf, and on your behalf............

---

Tale of two poets

Raza Rumi
The works of Bulleh Shah and Rumi echo the emotions of a growing global audience.....

``“ Bulleh! To me, I am not known

Not a believer inside the mosque, am I
Nor a pagan disciple of false rites
Not the pure amongst the impure
Neither Moses, nor the Pharoah

Bulleh! To me, I am not known ”

And the desire to be free of all trappings of identity, convention and routine:

“In happiness nor in sorrow, am I
Neither clean, nor a filthy mire
Not from water, nor from earth
Neither fire, nor from air, is my birth

Bulleh! To me, I am not known

Not an Arab, nor Lahori
Neither Hindi, nor Nagauri
Hindu, Turk (Muslim), nor Peshawari
Nor do I live in Nadaun

Bulleh! To me, I am not known ”

(www.thefridaytimes.com)

Chowk Staff: the second and second last stanza have the third line joined with the second. Could you correct that........thanks

dost-mittar #19: ``I second dullabhatti. Your poetry is okay in English, better in Urdu but best in Panjabi.``

This could be true, since Punjabi is my first language, Urdu my second language, and English my third language. Or it could be that you and Bhatti Saab` comprehension of Punjabi and Urdu is stronger than you comprehension of English......

Poetry is very hard. For every thousand .com millionaires, there is one Faiz and one Amrita. For every hundred Noble Prize winners, there is one Ghalib or Shakespeare. This wasn`t really poetry. This was a song. Writing songs is easy. However, writing music to a song is very hard, also. However, if this becomes a hit, you could be communicating with the next Alanis Morissette or Avril Lavigne.........

Romair:

Au vela yaad kar
jad gali ch jhaati paa ke
meri thodi nooN hath laa ke
aap manonda seiN
au vela yaad kar!

I second dullabhatti. Your poetry is okay in English, better in Urdu but best in Panjabi. So, bhra merya:
Hun chhad angrezi-urdu nooN
te phad lapni Panjabi nooN!
Pher vekh mazaa!

Farewell: With a Revised Perspective
(Adapted to the tune of The Rose)

When the wall
Has been too lonely
And the writing
Is too small
And you think
There is only
Nothing left
For you, at all

Just remember
If a difference
That “I miss you”
If you say…
Can it bring
Back her over
For here
To stay…

Why you let her
Go on over
Now you just
Can not explain
Asking chances
After chances
Yes, you sure
Got the pain

You think that now
You can make her
Turn to you
You think, you can
And that kiss
Sure was maiden
Eyes she closed
So you’re the man

For you miss her
Now, and ever
Raining tears
From those eyes
Yet you know it
In your heart that
It ain’t nothing
Just all lies

And those words are
All meaning-less
Not worth diddley
They are now
On her fanny
Since you kicked her
Be they covenants
Or vow

And those nights in
Spain you bare foot
And her smile
As walked in rain
And now fingers
Dare not touch her
Because she knows
You are a pain!

Who will make her
Laugh and wipe tears
Oh sure!
It will be you
No you can not
Caress her
For she fears
You, just you!

Yes, she sees that
Strong passion
Rising high
In your eyes
But that love you
Claim so boldly
Makes her fearful
Of the prize

And that parting
Glance you want so
And the dance
That you so crave
You don’t get them
It’s so simple
She is just
Not that brave

When she finds her
Next true love
Tender care
And you wait
Then the only
Con-crete thing
Is that you
Feel not great

So you sit now
Man one broken
Wanting back
Her in your life
She ain’t coming
Try you hard as
For she ain’t
Now your wife!

To update #4 from Romair, Cat Stevens is now Mullah Yusuf Islam. And he would therefore render the above song a bit differently than he would have a couple of decades ago, as follows:

I love to eat the halwa in the cawl!
Till there’s nothing left at all!
And now indeed, must I say?

Lotay aalee!! I miss you-u-u-u!

Give me a mussalah, thank ye ma`am
Gimme a chance to feel the pain
Of sitting on twisted feet again

Lotay aalee!! I need you-u-u-!

Mussalah mera, Lota Tera
Do you miss the nights we had in Spain?
Washing barefeet in aloe vera!!
Reciting the good Lord`s name!!

Lotay aalee!! I miss you!

wah wah quenie..

this will make a good Luther Vandross song.

rozaiba #9: ``yeah, good for hallmark cards. sounds like it came out of a 15 year old whose girlfriend left him.``

Yes, that is actually the audience that is being targeted. Roughly around your age group.....Perhaps a bit older, in the 25 years or so range, since I don`t know too many 15 year olds who have had, ``Nights in Spain.``

Bhatti Saab #11: ``errr...romair is very very young at heart``

Go haath ko jumbish nahiin aaNkhoon mein to dam hai
rahane do abhii saagar-o-miinaa mere aage

Chowk Staff - Man, you guys (or gals) are fast. I am highly impressed !!

Beej #2/12: Those verses from Shelly are nice. Writing good poetry is extremely difficult. And writing bad poetry is extremely easy. Which is why the number of great poets is less than even the number of great scientists and Nobel prize winners. English poetry has never appealed to me (perhaps because I cannot figure out much of it). Urdu poetry seems far superior. Till this day, I have not read any poet better than Ghalib, in any language that I can read........

queen_cut&paste #8:

``Asuko ankho ki dehleej pe laya na karo,
Apne dil ka haal kisi ko batay na karo,
Log muthi bar namak liye ghuma karte hai,
Apne zakham kisi ko dikhaya na karo``

Nice......This is what I was listening to when I wrote this (it is Mehdi Hasan`s trademark ghazal)......

Ranjish hee sahee, dil hee dukhanay kay liyay aa
aa phir say mujhe chor kay janay kay liyay aa

Kis kis ko bataye gay judai ka sabab hum
tu mujh say khafa hai to zamanay kay liye aa

Ik umar say hoon lizzt-e-garyaa say bhi mahroom
a rahat-e-jaan mujhay rulaanay kay liye aa

Abb tak dil-e-khush-faham ko tujh say hain umeedain
ye aakharee shammain he bhujhanay kay liyay aa

chalo bhaiyo behno kuch karo
ronay dhonay ka intezam karo

gaatay gaatay keh raha hay “I miss you, I miss you”
qawwali gao sub mil ker ‘jhoot bol raha hay tu’
‘jhoot bol raha hay tu
jhoot bol raha hay tu’

and hamidm get off his case
let him cry, this is his space

please aap bhee beejay
defend not with dismay

haaN you can join us too
‘jhoot bol raha hay tu
jhoot bol raha hay tu’

Dear Romair,

Because of some unknown reasons, the Shelly poem (in #2) just came to my mind when I read certain parts of your poem, which I like.

Pay no attention to the nay-sayers!

The cruel bunch!
Just thinks you are lunch!
Will never, never grow
No poetry, they know!
True poems – out-of-loop
Is not for this troop
Bean-counters, them all!
Caused many poets fall!
Want nothing but parties
Those pantsies-smarties!
Gang-up on you they
Like wolves on prey
(All foolish – empty)
(’Cept our Bhai-T!)
Can’t write worth a dime
Not even in prime
They take you apart
So clueless in the art
With pleasure they glow
But little do they know
For poem that’s true
Must only ensue
All fully from the heart
Their MISSING heart!
And so, so hard
Talking Hallmark card!
That one could glean
They were NEVER fifteen!

Sincerely,
Beej.