The Return of the Soul – Punjabi poem by Kiran Kumari

बाज़-आमद-ए-रूह,” – The Return of the Soul – Punjabi poem by Kiran Kumari

 

Baaz-Aamad-e-Rooh

Kade ik shakhs si, jis de tasavvur vich shaam dhaldi si,
Ose di yaad vich aksar eh tanhaai machaldi si.
Na jaane kehda fasaana si, na jaane ki hoya,
Bas os ton baad har khushi kujh ajnabi-ji lagdi si.

Oh kehndi si— “Hun agge da safar be-rang hovega,
Na koi hamsafar hovega, na koi dil da hamraaz hovega.”
Charaagh-e-dil bujhya taan si, par ik shakhs aa niklya,
Kehnda— “Hale raat baaki ae, tere hisse vich aftaab hovega.”

Na ohne zakhm kurede, na guzre vele baare puchheya,
Bas ohde kol baithya te khamoshi nu samajhya.
Kade ik pyaala chaah, kade umeed de do lafz,
Os ne hi ohdi rooh nu fer zindagi naal jod rakheya.

Oh fer muskuraayi, fer khwaaban di taabeer mangan laggi,
Jehri zindagi ton russ gayi si, ohi zindagi mangan laggi.
Fer ik roz keha— “Hun mainu jaana chaahida ae,
Teri panaah vich sikheya ae, hun aap nu sambhaalna chaahida ae.”

Oh chali gayi taan dovaan de dil vich firaaq utar aaya,
Ajeeb si gall—judai ne hi rishta samjhaaya.
Oh shakhs vi be-sukoon si, oh vi kujh be-qaraar,
Jiven ik-dooje vich dovaan ne apna sukoon paaya.

Oh murh aaya ohde kol, par koi shikwa na si,
Bas ena keha— “Tu meri rooh da ik hissa si.
Tainu laggeya main tainu hanereyaan vichon kaddhya ae,
Par sach eh ae—tain vi mainu jeen da hausla ditta si.”

Fer ishq hoya—na daawa, na koi izhaar-e-jahaan,
Bas do roohan miliyan te mukammal hoya ik kaarvaan.
Oh ohdi roshni si, oh ohda aftaab ban gaya—
Jis nu oh apna najaatgar samajhdi rahi,
Ohi khud ohdi mohabbat vich najaat paa gaya.

English Translation

The Return of the Soul

Once, there was someone whose memory made the evening descend,
And in remembrance of that person, loneliness would often stir.
No one knows what the tale was, or what exactly happened;
After them, every happiness began to feel strangely unfamiliar.

She would say, “The journey ahead will now be colourless.
There will be no companion, nor anyone who understands my heart.”
The lamp of her heart had indeed gone out, but someone appeared and said,
“The night is not yet over; the sun still awaits you.”

He neither reopened her wounds nor asked about the past.
He simply sat beside her and understood her silence.
Sometimes it was a cup of tea; sometimes, a few words of hope—
That was how he kept reconnecting her soul with life.

She smiled again and began asking once more for the fulfilment of her dreams.
The very woman who had turned away from life began asking life to return.
Then, one day, she said, “Now I should leave.
Under your protection, I have learned that I must now take care of myself.”

When she left, separation descended upon both their hearts.
Strangely, it was separation that made them understand their bond.
He, too, was restless; she, too, was uneasy—
As though they had both found their peace within one another.

He returned to her, carrying no complaint.
He said only, “You were a part of my soul.
You thought I had brought you out of darkness,
But the truth is—you also gave me the courage to live.”

Then love came—not as a claim, nor as any public declaration;
Two souls simply met, and a journey became complete.
She was his light, and he became her sun—
The one she had always believed to be her saviour
Found salvation himself in her love.