Born in Pakistan in 1911, Faiz Ahmed Faiz is regarded as one of the most famous poets of the Urdu language and his poetry has been translated into many languages, including English, Russian and Balochi.  Faiz Ahmed Faiz has also translated works of notable poets from other languages – Mir Gul Khan Nasir and Rasul Gamzatov are the examples.  In 1962, he was awarded the Lenin Peace Prize by the Soviet Union.  He was also nominated for the Nobel Prize, shortly before he died in 1984.

 

Faiz Ahmed Faiz was the editor of Pakistan Times and as a distinguished journalist wrote articles for other newspapers and weekly journals during his career.  But, he was first a poet and always a poet!  He was moved by philosophy of life and romance of lovers, equally.

 

Aayey kuch abr kuch sharab aayey
Uske baad aayey jo azaab aayey.

 

Let there be clouds and wine!  After that what calamity falls, it does not matter.

 

Bam-e-mena sey mahtab utrey
Dast-e-saki sey aftaab aayey.

 

From the roof of the wine decanter, the moon appears.  From the hands of the wine-giver, the sun comes.

 

Har ragey koon mein phir chiragan
Samne phir who benaqab aayey.

 

Every blood vein lights up with lamps when she castes off her veil from her face.

 

Kar raha tha gam-e-jahan ka hisab,
Aaj tum yaad behisab aayey.

 

When I was calculating the accounts of (grief) which I received from this world, you were prominent in my memory.

 

Faiz ki rah sar-b-sar manzil,
Hum jahan phunchey kamyaab aayey.

 

O! Faiz – at every step of my destination – as I reach, I get victory.