By Fazal Amin Beg
Saifuddin Saif belongs to Ghulkin village of Hunza valley in Gilgit-Baltistan Region, Northern Pakistan. though, he is in his middle age, Saif has been contributing marvelously for more than two decades to his mother tongue, called Wakhi, in line with devotional and secular poetries. His poetries are prominent and dominant among all age groups, whether young or old, women or men.
Saifuddin Saif is one of the few Wakhi poets who knows and takes care of the genres in poetry.
It’s so interesting to note that Saifuddin is is formally trained in and has his masters in natural sciences (Chemistry on the one hand), another masters in business administration and having his deep experience in teaching and management, but his passion for poetry in Wakhi and Urdu is so deep and has made him so popular among the respective communities.his wonderful contributions to the concerned literatures are invaluable, indeed. For instance, in Wakhi, he is so careful in choosing the genuine words of the language and it creats a great taste in his poetries.
It was back in November 2013 when a Poetic session I (Fazal Amin Beg) had organized and managed in my personal capacity in my house at Gilgit (Zulfiqarabad).Dr. Beate Reinhold , a German linguist specialized and having her PhD in Wakhi language, was on a visit of Gilgit-baltistan region. Earlier than this, she had visited Pakistan in September-October 2011 when late Dr. Boghsho Lashkarbekov and three other Russian linguists had visited the region for an exchange and short field studies. Reinhold was at that time also in Gilgit.
However, it’s to be noted that this respective Wakhi poetic session was therefore dedicated to Beate Reinhold for the invaluable contribution she has made to Wakhi language in different context.therefore a team of very selective Wakhi poets and poetesses were available. The poets and poetesses included Ustad Asmatullah Mushfiq, Ahmad Riaz, Ali Qurban, Ahmad Jami Sakhi, Amanullah Aman, Lal Jahon, Laila Ghazi, Sultan Ahmad, Saifuddin Saif, Afiyat Nazar and I myself. A renowned Wakhi poet, Nazir Ahmad Bulbul , participated in the session live telephonically. Besides, Ustad Muhammad Aslam, a Wakhi religious scholar , was also a prominent guest in the session.
After writing them in Anglicized Wakhi script along with English translation, I’m now going to share two of his touching and romantic poetries, for the first time on my website here.hope the readers will enjoy them both of these poetries he had presented in the same poetic session in Gilgit.
The poetries Saifuddin saif had rcited seven years ago was published by the eagles World Channel now. It could be accessed by the readers on the following link:
those who cannot understand Wakhi can read the English translation of the poetries.
Dem T Yod-e Goz (In the Meadow of your Memory)
Cẽ Sayf Uddin Sayf en
Tag da ti yodbũdem nast, da ishq-e boghem ta net
Ye spreg̃h ta’r chiz gila, yem khoki tey k̃hat bẽghet
You never remember when I seeded you in the garden of love,
O flower! There is no complaint to you, the soil of the land is jealous in such a manner.
Yi merg-e toqa-e rang, teyem dem ti yod-e goz
S̃hum xẽmak en to oghoz, baydes̃h wizit sẽk remet
Like a male ibex, I’m in the meadow of your love,
From the dark evening to the dawn, the poetries get revealed in rumination.
Ne’m ta got ye z̃hũ nasib! Nivi dũnyo ma’r ashar
Ne’p sũmahem, ne’p gilahem, neyep k̃hanem yem et yet
I couldn’t get your company unfortunately, this world is now a hell for me,
I won’t search you out, I won’t complain and I won’t say this and that.
Sẽk ti hũsn-e tovem shov tu, ce jirjim tu z̃hũ dũnyo
Pũzũves̃h dik̃ht khew dem zindon, kuyet ko got maz̃het z̃het
I’m silent on the heat of your beauty, and my world was so in peace,
My heart cries in the prison, whom you’ve got and have thrown me away?
G̃harshot’rem rost dem dũnyo,ti hũsn-e ben dik̃ht tow cum batk
Dem safar cẽ g̃hudh’v en me wes̃h, dust et dũshmani yem shet
For an occasional meal I’m in this world, for how long you will be proud of your beauty,
Don’t be afraid of the thieves, foe and friend is the soil.
Ghalem be bẽr hes̃h ey jon, yiqũr didig̃h yod car
Tagep khabar ne wost Saif, shet-e shoposi ki get
I’m still in sense, o my beloved! Please remember me yet,
I won’t be alive, once I put on the quilt of the soil.
Hũsnes̃h mirit ishqes̃h tag zẽlal ne wost
The beauty dies but the Love never shakes
Cẽ Sayfuddin Sayf en
Hũsnes̃h mirit ishqes̃h tag zẽlal ne wost
Hũsn-e diwona’es̃h shit k̃hat, oshiqes̃h badhjal ne wost
The beauty dies but the love never shakes,
A made behind beauty gets suicide but the lover never becomes ignorant.
Kuyes̃h ki kuy ne got k̃he sharobes̃h pit, taryokes̃h dik̃ht
Yemi hũsn-e bimorg̃h, dẽ ishqes̃h ze’ng kẽsal ne wost
If someone couldn’t get a beloved and began drinking wine or opted for opium,
That’s then a sickness of beauty, in love such things don’t emerge.
Ishq-e fũlofũses̃h wocen, car’nes̃h k̃hũ nafser sajda
Z̃eng ilmi tey kor-e bakhs̃h, da ki chiz amal ne wost
they become guru of love and begin prostrating before their wishes,
Curse on such kind of knowledge if there is no action around it.
Ishq-e khũshruy trẽ k̃hat kẽtaker rec̃hnes̃h pẽ Mũlo-e bar
Oshiq da Mawlo-e bar, ta baydes̃h yikal ne wost
For the sake of getting the beauty, they go behind the mullahs (expert of witchcraft),
A lover goes to the house of Lord and and don’t depend on a magic book.
Skẽ yũwes̃h k̃hũ marg-e winen, pig̃ha’ri woz kuy digar
Fanflũk dẽ ishqi nast, oshiqes̃h badal ne wost
On a person, they go to the extreme level , then change their mind the next day,
There is no lie in a love, a lover doesn’t change his/her mind.
Ishq-e dawogarev kũk̃ht, magam kuy pũzũvi ki badh
Sẽk jigarep zur dik̃ht, da khalges̃h chiz yal ne wost
All claim for being a lover but those who are bad,
Though, s/he will struggle by force, there may not be the required capacity.
Ishqi yi rakhnig̃h-e nung, oshiqes̃h skam-e tov pes̃ht
Dami ki kam ku’es̃h weres̃ht, serviches̃h gral ne wost
Love is the name of a fire,on its heat a lover gets cooked,
If there is less heat, it’ll remain uncooked as the holes of a pane cake don’t allow it to be so.
Pũtũn ũmres̃h tuz̃hen k̃he wũk̃hen mẽ dures̃h merin
Leyla et Majũn-e ishqes̃h pẽ yi nag̃hd matal ne wost
The entire life a person remains in hard pain, finally dies with seriousness,
The love of Layla and Majnun never gets changed in one night.
Ti pũzũv-e rabobsozi kuy ye Seyf, ghafch dardi dem
Baydes̃h trem kũs̃hũyn hazor, haryũwes̃h ghazal ne wost
Who is player of your heart’s string instrument Saif, deep pain is in it,
The songs are listened in thousands but each of them cannot be termed as Ghazal.
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