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The Dawn of Freedom

The poem expresses disappointment that the dawn of freedom did not match the hopes and promises that were expected. While independence was achieved, suffering still continues and true liberation seems distant. The speaker calls friends to continue the search for the "promised dawn" of true and complete freedom.

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5K views3 pages

The Dawn of Freedom

The poem expresses disappointment that the dawn of freedom did not match the hopes and promises that were expected. While independence was achieved, suffering still continues and true liberation seems distant. The speaker calls friends to continue the search for the "promised dawn" of true and complete freedom.

Uploaded by

mrtutul
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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The Dawn of Freedom (August 1947)

by Faiz Ahmed Faiz

These tarnished rays, this night-smudged light --


This is not that Dawn for which, ravished with freedom,
we had set out in sheer longing,
so sure that somewhere in its desert the sky harbored
a final haven for the stars, and we would find it.
We had no doubt that night's vagrant wave would stray
towards the shore,
that the heart rocked with sorrow would at last reach its port.

Friends, our blood shaped its own mysterious roads.


When hands tugged at our sleeves, enticing us to stay,
and from wondrous chambers Sirens cried out
with their beguiling arms, with their bare bodies,
our eyes remained fixed on that beckoning Dawn,
forever vivid in her muslins of transparent light.
Our blood was young -- what could hold us back?

Now listen to the terrible rampant lie:


Light has forever been severed from the Dark;
our feet, it is heard, are now one with their goal.
See our leaders polish their manner clean of our suffering:
Indeed, we must confess only to bliss;
we must surrender any utterance for the Beloved -- all yearning
is outlawed.

But the heart, the eye, the yet deeper heart --


Still ablaze for the Beloved, their turmoil shines.
In the lantern by the road the flame is stalled for news:
Did the morning breeze ever come? Where has it gone?
Night weighs us down, it still weighs us down.
Friends, come away from this false light. Come, we must
search for that promised Dawn.

Faiz Ahmed Faiz (1911-1984) was a Pakistani poet and Marxist. Translation by Agha
Shahid. This translation was first published in Annual of Urdu Studies 11 (1996),
Dawn of Freedom (August 1947)

These tarnished rays, this night-smudged light

This is not that Dawn for which, ravished with freedom,

we had set out in sheer longing,

so sure that somewhere in its desert the sky harbored

a final haven for the stars, and we would find it.

We had no doubt that night’s vagrant wave would stray towards the shore

that the heart rocked with sorrow would at last reach its port.

Friends, our blood shaped its own mysterious roads.

When hands tugged at our sleeves, enticing us to stay,

and from wondrous chambers Sirens cried out

with their beguiling arms, with their bare bodies,

our eyes remained fixed on that beckoning dawn,

forever vivid in her muslins of transparent light.

Our blood was young, what could hold us back?

Now listen to the terrible rampant lie:

Light has forever been severed from the Dark;

our feet, it is heard, are now one with their goal.

See our leaders polish their manner clean of our suffering:

Indeed, we must confess only to bliss;

we must surrender any utterance for the Beloved, all yearning is outlawed.

But the heart, the eye, the yet deeper heart,


Still ablaze for the Beloved, their turmoil shines.

In the lantern by the road the flame is stalled for news:

Did the morning breeze ever come? Where has it gone?

Night weighs us down; it still weighs us down.

Friends, come away from this false light.

Come, we must search for that promised Dawn.

- Faiz Ahmed Faiz, (August 1947), translated from the Urdu by Agha Shahid Ali

SUBH-E-AZADI (August 1947)

Ye dagh dagh ujala, ye shab-gazida sahar,


Vo intizar tha jis-ka, ye vo sahar to nahin,
Ye vo sahar to nahin jis-ki arzu lekar
Chale the yar ke mel-jaegi kahin na kahin

Falak ke dasht men taron ki akhiri manzil,


Kahin to hoga shab-e sust mauj ka sahil,
Kahin to jake rukega safina-e-gham-e-dil.

Jawan lahu ki pur-asrar shahrahon se


Chale jo yar to daman pe kitne hath pare;
Diyar-e-husn ki be-sabr khwabgahon se
Pukarti-rahin bahen, badan bulate-rahe;
Bahut aziz thi lekin rukh-e-sahar ki lagan,
Bahut qarin tha hasinan-e-nur ka daman,
Subuk subuk thi tamanna, dabi dabi thi thakan.
Suna hai ho bhi chuka hai firaq-e-zulmat-o-nur,
Suna hai ho bhi chuka hai visal-e-manzil-o-gam;
Badal-chuka hai bahut ahl-e-dard ka dastur,
Nishat-e-vasl halal o azab-e-hijr haram.

Jigar ki ag, nazar ki umang, dil ki jalan,


Kisi pe chara-e-hijran ka kuchh asar hi nahin.
Kahan se a'i nigar-e-saba, kidhar ko ga'i?
Abhi charagh-e-sar-e-rah ko kuchh khbar hi nahin;
Abhi girani-e-shab men kami nahin a'i,
Najat-e-dida-o-dil ki ghari nahin a'i;
Chale-chalo ke vo manzil abhi nahin a'i.

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