Was it fated from the past that on a deserted island
when the sun turns gloomy descending the ridge,
You will meet me at the ruddy golden-lined shores...
and you will slip down towards me in such a way
that it seems the ocean just washed you off the shore
was this our destiny entwined ? or a coincidence
After the sun sets, and its time for the moon to reign,
when the stars flutter like the last breaths of a person
You were longing for my departure so that You can throw
yourself back to the sea...
maybe someone's pain had come to the point of 'visarjan'
but I kept on waiting as I feared the helplessness in your
eyes might lure the sea to drag you back to her.
That night, the moon appeared quite late,
and you kept on reading your agonies through the pages from your book
and at the same time tore the papers one after another...
the waves of the ocean got covered with those torn pieces...
At the time of bidding farewell, while shaking hands,
the pains were rolling over and over within us
tears were filling up your eyes,
and for my eyes, they too felt getting wet...
What might be the relation between us or the destiny
that had been already written a long time back.
- Original in Urdu by Gulzar Sahab.
(Translated by Wreetojyoti Ray)
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