Fahmida Riaz on the Wall
My young friend has translated Fahmida Riaz’s words, and how inspiring these are..Â
“There is a wall in front of us, we have a choice , either to die lamenting or die by banging our heads against the wall, in that case we would have at least tried to break the wall—”
And, his conclusion was: “The wall is same, the heads are same , the choice is ours——-”
Here is the last stanza of a poem, Condolence Resolution by Fahmida Riaz:
Don’t be distressed if I am left unburied
If the priest denies me the final rites.
Carry the remains to the woods and leave it there.
It comforts me to think that the beasts would feast
At my bones, my flesh, this strong red heart,
They would feel no need to screen my thoughts.
Their bellies filled, they’ll clean their paws
And their sinless eyes will gleam with a truth
That you, my friends, dare never express:
‘She always said what she had to say,
And for all her life had no regrets.’
 (translation by Patricia Sharpe)
P.S. I have to share a sad piece of news: Fahmida- the greatest living Urdu voice now - lost her only son Kabeer, last month, who drowned in the US. She only found out days later. This is a tragic loss for her - a son whose future she was nurturing and wanted him to get the best education (that involved personal sacrifices on her part). I have not been able to talk - she is away from the phone and I have no words - they continue to elude me - to utter!
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A powerful voice she must be; what a poem - razor sharp to cut through any complacent conscience unwilling to make a choice.
Losing a child is perhaps the greatest sorrow for a human being, and more so if the being is an artist with a refined sensitivity such as Fahmida Riaz’z. May she find the strength and fortitude to bear this irreparable loss.
Raza, thanks for introducing me to another outstanding voice.
On the subject of choices I’d like to share a poem I wrote a few years ago when I stood at a crossroad wondering which road to take…
Choices
It was to be!
That which goes around comes around.
Now what?
Give in or give up.
Maybe easier to accept.
The doors we opened
on the road we chose
were not ours for the asking.
These doors unknown, on chosen paths
opened to hearths that warmed
sometimes to walls that chilled.
Comment by IMeMy — November 6, 2007 @ 3:57 pm
Man !
Loosing son at this age …its unimaginable..
God bless her..
Comment by mystic — November 7, 2007 @ 6:39 am
Bulleh Shah assan merna naahi, Gor peya koi hor!!!
Comment by Shaheryar Ali — November 7, 2007 @ 1:54 pm
Mystic and SA: thanks for visiting
Id: your poem is beautiful..you are so gifted. please do send me more and I’d like to post them.
cheers
Comment by RR — November 7, 2007 @ 5:52 pm
Salam ´Arz
This Adam has a few words in the Chorda Tendinea ;
To live a life is done by many
but to give a life is only done by some
to be depreived a life
is only possible to be expressed by those
whom have lost.
Do accept my condolation.My Dua is with her.My thoughts too.
The poem/ghazal ; conveyed some solid-bound reality for someone who has lived.
Comment by Adam Insaan — November 7, 2007 @ 10:38 pm
How tragic. Where was he studying in the US?
Comment by GSQ — November 9, 2007 @ 7:44 pm
[...] with conflictNothing but a figure of clay?There are none so deaf as those who don?t want to hear?Fahmida Riaz on the WallNot again [...]
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