Muhammad Shanazar (25-11-1960 / Pakistan)

I before my death,
Have composed,
An elegy of the Earth,
Which (after war)
Roodali of the Air will sing,
Weeping and wailing,
Sitting amid the burnt
Decomposed bodies.

The Decree of Death
Has been written,
On the pale forehead of the Earth;
Only time is to be fixed.

We are neither afraid of death,
Nor covetous for life,
We only wish to relish in full,
Our natural life before the final ruin,
And it is our right too.

If war is indispensable,
We shall fight it only for our existence,
For our dreams are not
The fuel for the wars being fought on rent.

‘Roodali’ is a professional woman whom the elite class of the Sikhs hires to lament on the death of someone.

(Written by Jawaaz Jafri Translated by Muhammad Shanazar)