u/Swatisani

seek the light, call out to the morning bright

what good will it do to cry in darkness of night

if you dare, raise your banner and your voice too

staying silent is not going to solve the issue

the flower laughs at the nightingale and its act of passion

what they call love is but an unsound mind’s action

I have thrown them towards the heavens afar

a few clay lamps each turned into a star

at this very place, on this very day, it was proclaimed thus

darkness has been defeated, long live Hindustan

could I ever find the bounds love? no, I did not

did I find my true self? I did not, did I find God? no I did not

that he won’t come that evening too, this I knew, and couldn’t deny

yet I kept waiting for him, for a reason I couldn’t say why

the one that has some graves, some faces, and memories aplenty

how difficult it is to migrate from such a city

be it my blood that burns in them or my heart and soul that glow

at least some lamps in the gathering have been set aglow

who would tell the watching crowd

that after this, one of them would be called out

everyone here is putting on an act

whom to remember, whom to forget

it was us on the road whose clothes they splashed with ink in scorn

those very stains we wore with pride and into our comrades’ gathering borne

such was my being in the realm of nonexistence

i was neither a youth, nor an infant

This Sher also needs a short explanation

The poet says that before he came into being, none of the stages of life applied to him. He was neither an infant nor the youth he is now. The couplet derives its charm from stating an obvious truth in a paradoxical way, inviting reflection on the mystery of existence and nonexistence.

no matter where they are lit, they burn bright

lamps do not belong to one home to spread their light

the pastures of my heart are drying up; what kind of rain could this be

clouds of dreams come floating in, but showers of fire are all I see

being happy about something small, this I knew

but to stay silent on a larger issue, I learned from you

to hear a wrong in silence, nod and agree

there’s much to gain from it, but it doesn’t feel right to me

don’t guard yourself by staying tucked away

when it rains, get completely drenched, and play

this is one flaw of democracy, that when it comes to the seat of power

sometimes the cunning occupy it, sometimes the traitors take it over

having forgotten their own time, these people, it may seem

regard modern romance as unworthy of esteem