It will be alive tomorrow,
(By the grace and blessings of God!)
She is a beautiful woman,
She sings and dances,
And blooms colorful flowers,
Aromatic and attractive,
She has a pleasant sea breeze,
That changes buds into lovely flowers,
It provides bread to the hungry men,
It provides a dress to the poor,
And the religious educational institutions,
All over the country,
Depend on it’s alms,
Every year many cyclones rise,
But the power of alms,
Repel them somewhere else,
It’s not so much weak as you think,
It’s alive and shall remain alive.
If it’s unhappy today,
Tomorrow it will be in your arms,
The corrupt politicians!
We have seen many like you,
Coming and going,
When the breeze will change its direction,
The silent persons sitting in their homes,
Will come out,
Some of you will be thrown in the sea,
And some in burning deserts.
You are a tourist!
You have come to see Pakistan,
Just see Karachi and see Pakistan,
Stay here,
Entire Pakistan is here,
And shall always remain here.
And you the rulers and the center of power,
Your centrifugal force is now painful,
Don’t snatch water from her,
Don’t snatch bread from her,
Don’t snatch light from her,
Don’t push him in darkness,
Of a closed lane,
It’s your heart sweetheart!
Don’t you know when heart beats stop,
The body is called a dead body!
Somewhere I am wrong,
Somewhere you are wrong,
I am incomplete without you,
You are also incomplete without me,
Our love is still alive,
Look into my eyes the friendship is alive,
And those who claim as leaders and protectors,
Or a rival in love,
I am going to Lahore,
To a beautiful maid,
And you, the maid!
Veil yourself,
Come on the cold lanes of canal,
Positively tomorrow,
Yes, at Moghalpura,
Careful! Nobody should see you there,
Come like a thirsty Heer,
The Ranjha will be there with a message of love,
And I shall bring a bride from Lahore,
To Karachi who direly needs her beauty,
When she comes here,
Karachi will turn once again,
In the City of Lights!
I have been a a bit bitter,
Now I have washed my lips from sweet milk,
Be ready for a hug,
At the moment a sweet flying kiss,
I was always yours,
And I shall always be yours.
(Heer Ranjha is a classical Punjabi long poem, a love story of Heer (the heroine) and Ranjha (the hero)
This is a translation of the poem
Karachi
by
Akhtar Jawad