Inzamam and Niazi

This is for those aren't Punjabi, and who watched yesterday's India-Pakistan cricket match, and the blah-blah of commentary during and after:

Former Pakistani cricket great Imran Khan, commenting on the fall of Pakistani captain Inzamam-ul-Haq's wicket (for obstructing the field, a very unusual way of getting out), quoted a couplet in Punjabi:
kujh sheher de log wi zalim san
kujh sanu maran da shauq wi si
I don't know Punjabi, but I did happen to recognise the reference, to a poem by the great Munir Niazi. The crude translation is:
It was partly because people were cruel
and also I was attracted to death
Here's the entire poem:
Kujh unjwi rawan aukhian san,
kujh gallay wich gham da tauq wi si
kujh sheher de log wi zalim san
kujh sanu maran da shauq wi si

It was partly because the path was difficult
and there was a noose of sorrow around my neck
It was partly because people were cruel
and also I was attracted to death
There - wonder if anyone will come Googling for that little snippet?

2 comments:

Yash said...

Don't actually remember, how did i come to this, Absolutely no one will do Googling for that little snippet, but really nice Punjabi poem

Anonymous said...

i did google doodle it, hoping to find the complete version of the poem. Here's what someone once read to me, years ago:
kis da dosh aye, te kis da naye, aye gallan hon karan diya naeen,
lung gaye welay touba walay, hon rataan hokkay bharan diya naeen,
hoyeya aye jo hona ee si, te honi rokiaan rukdi nayi,
ek wari jado shuru ho jaway, te gal pher awain mukdi nayi,
koj onj vi rahwan okhian san, koj gal vich gham da tauq vi si,
koj shehr de loag vi zalam san, koj menon maran da shok vi si,