POETRY
The Divine Woman
โ POEM by Saleem Shahzad
(Translated fromย Urdu by Baidar Bakht)
The divine woman
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย tells prayer-beads
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย and cries her heart out.
Spoons of lament
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย scoop at the kohl,
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย And the kohl demands a necklace.
The tears of the necklace,
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย A cart-full,
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Are ready to be sold.
For the sake of my friend,
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Even we are ready
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย to sell the ornament of the eye.
โฆ.
(Translated fromย URDU by Baidar Bakht)
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Translations of POEMS with arresting imagery, polished language, emotional impact, and lyricism without pretension. The work of the POETS who received high accolade for their superb and stupefying POETIC WORK.
Saleem Shahzad
Born 0n December 15, 1957 in Bahawal Nagar, Punjab, Pakistan Saleem Shahzad is a trilingual poet, novelist, translator and historian of Pakistan. He is a retired Government Officer. His literary work, spanning 45 years, consists of 10 books: 06 poetry collections 02 Saraiki novels, a book of history, translations of short-stories from Punjabi and Saraiki into Urdu. Saleem Shahzad received National Literary Award twice (on collection of Saraiki poems โPeren Turda Shahrโ, 2007 and Saraiki Novel โGhaanโ, 2012) and Tamgha-e-Imtiaz from the Government of Pakistan in 2023.
Saleem Shahzad transformed trend of traditional poetry style and diction, using the unusual and untouchable subjects in his poems with his zigzag shaped to lines. His novels also provide rejuvenation to themes and diction of Saraiki novels. So, he may unquestionably be labelled with the honour as a trend setter writer and poet.
Saleem Shahzadโs novel Ghaan (Whirlpool), published in 2012, has been considered as prediction to the pandemic CORONA because novel depicts story of an epidemic which confines people to homes wearing masks. Now-a-days, he has been working on another novel in Punjabi language. His two collections of poems are to be published soon.
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More by Saleem Shahzad:
Baidar Bakht
Baidar Bakht, born in 1940, took his first degree in civil engineering from Aligarh, and M.Sc. and D.Sc from London University. He is a bridge engineer by profession, but now retired from full-time employment. He is Adjunct Professor of civil engineering at the universities of Toronto and Manitoba. He is renowned for his translations of modern Urdu poetry into English. Since 1974, Baidar Bakht has been living in Toronto, Canada, with his family.
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