“aaj jaane kii zid na karo

yuu.N hii pahaluu me.n baiThe raho

haaye mar jaaye.nge ham to luT jaaye.nge

aisii baate.n kiyaa na karo”

Stop that haunting song. Do not pain, if I am gone. Do not die,

do not feel gutted, I have to insist I am leaving. I had

been always gone. I will be pained to know

that you will be pained when I’m gone.

I was never here, I was never there. I have been

always gone.

“tum hii socho zaraa kyuu.N na roke tumhe.n

jaan jaatii hai jab uThake jaate ho tum

tum ko apanii qasam jaan-e-jaa.N

baat itanii merii maan lo”

Stop that haunting song. No please – come, come with me,

I will show you oceans and lands you have never seen.

I will use a fine scalpel and find the words to sever anything that

roots you here; we will feed any umbilical cord to hungry sailors,

and dance under the moon in strange lands and throw ourselves

at unimaginable bazaars and you will feel how unrefined our tongues

were

and how your life was base and miserable. And we will be together

always gone: anywhere.

“vaqt kii qaid me.n zindagii hai magar

chand gha.Diyaa.N yahii hai.n jo aazaad hai

in ko kho kar abhii jaan-e-jaa.N

umr bhar na tarasate raho”

Free yourself my love, from these iron manacles

forged by the cruelty of time and duty by some wrath

of Kali and of time. Snap out of the constrictions, I will reveal to you

the ultimate hue of freedoms.

I will show you how wherever I am, I am already gone. How to spin

around the spinning world forever. And how, with all my heart

whoever tore my roots out, I curse and doubly-curse

And you will

help me curse them, love.

“kitanaa maasuum-o-rangiin hai ye samaa

husn aur ishq kii aaj meraaj hai

kal ki kis ko Khabar jaan-e-jaa.N

rok lo aaj kii raat ko”

Love and beauty rule today, tomorrow and forever

you cannot make the night stand still. Come with me, all

nights stand still everywhere because we would have

left them pining; and you at least will know who tore and cut your

cords and roots and whom to curse and hate. Come with me

I give you freedom. It harbours the cruelest of loves.