How long?
How long can i lament with this depressed heart and soul how long can i remain a sad autumn ever since my grief has…
In Love that Long
I am here, this moment, inside the beauty, the gift God has given, our love: this gold and circular sign means we are free…
Intisaab- Faiz’s poem with translation
Intisaab by Faiz Ahmed Faiz Aaj ke naam Aur Aaj ke gham ke naam Aaj ka gham ke hai zindagi ke bhare gulistan se…
The sign of intimate friendship
Rumi on the beauty of spiritually intimate associations.. It is a sign of intimate friendship when speech flows freely from the heart; without intimacy,…
Rumi – You and I, in the Palace
Happy is the moment, when we sit together, With two forms, two faces, yet one soul, you and I. The flowers will bloom forever,…
Destination of love by Ahmad-i-Jam
Sohaib Qureshi has translated 12th century mystic Ahmad-i Jam’s verse – thanks to his endeavours Manzil-i ishq az makàn-i dìgar ast Mard-i ìn ràh…
When compassion fills my heart
I am happy when I am sad I am together when fallen apart like earth when I am silent I have thunder hidden inside…
The dream that was not mine – Harris Khalique’s poetry
khud pe kia taari use woh khwab jo apna na tha (I let the dream take over me/ The dream that was not mine)…
I am only the house of your beloved
Rumi again… “I am only the house of your beloved, not the beloved herself: true love is for the treasure, not for the coffer…
What the heart is like – a poem by Miroslav Holub
Today, my friend Khalid Mir told me rather casually that he had been reading poems by Miroslav Holub. I had heard his name; and…
In this game of chess
I was first seduced by love then put in a fire of agonies as i won the mastery of the beloved the beloved dropped…
Story-Water
I am posting two versions of Rumi’s captioned poem from the Mathnavi A story is like the water you heat for your bath. It…
Saadat Hasan Manto- Writer of Stark Realities
Saadat Hassan Manto (May 11, 1912 – January 18, 1955) was a Pakistani Urdu short story writer, most known for his Urdu short stories…
What do you think will happen? Eid Mubarak
Eid Mubarak to all the readers. Here is a poem by Rumi if you can’t go to sleep my dear soul for tonight what…
the two insomnias
“When I am with you, we stay up all night. When you’re not here, I can’t go to sleep. Praise God for those two…
My Journey (Mera Safar): Ali Sardar Jafri
I came across this decent translation of his poem Mera Safar I enjoyed reading it again after ages and thought this must be shared…
The Verge of Tears
You make our souls tasty like rose marmalade. You cause us to fall flat on the ground like the shadow of a cypress still…
Amir Khusrau – O soul of mine come to me
by Amir Khusrau Bashguft gulha dar chaman, aye gulsitan e man bia Sarv istada muntazar sarv e ravan e man bia Flowers are blooming…
Abdullah Hussain on Urdu
Sir. In his letter “Cracks in KK” (TFT, Aug 31-Sep 6), Khalid Hasan objects to KK Aziz’s evaluation of Faiz as having “no subtlely…
Book review: Poetic resistance to Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto’s murder
As a young student I obtained a tattered copy of ‘Khushboo ki Shahadat’ from an old bookstall in Lahore’s Urdu bazaar. This was the…