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.

Mujh se pehli si mahabbat miri mehboob na maang!
Main ne samjha tha ke tu hai tau darakhshan hai hayaat,

Ask me not, my love, for the love of former days,
I had thought, with you around life ‘uld be dazzling bright,

Tera ghum hai tau ghum-e-dahar ka jhagra kya hai,
Teri soorat se hai aalam mein bahaaron ko sabaat,

With your griefs to fill my heart, other griefs would vapourize,
Your beauty keeps the spring alive,

Teri aankhon ke siwa duniya mein rakha kya hai?
Tu jo mil jaae tau taqdir nigoon ho jaae,
Yun na tha, main ne faqt chaha tha yun ho jaae.

The world contains naught else but your starry eyes,
To own you is to own the fortune’s richest prize.
It wasn’t so; I simply wished it could be so!

Aur bhi dukh hain zamane mein mahabbat ke siwa,
Raahaten aur bhi hain wasal ki raahat ke siwa;

Besides the griefs of love, there’re other griefs in life,
Besides the joy of union there’re other delights.

Aa ganit sadion ke taarik, bahimaana talism,
Resham-o-atlas-o-kamkhwaab mein bunwae hue,

The dark, devilish spells, o’er several centuries cast,
Woven in silks and satins, in brocade finely wrought;

Ja baja bikte hue koocha-o-bazaar mein jism,
Khak mein lithre hue, khoon mein nahlaae hue,

Human bodies for sale in every street and shop.
Bodies bathe in blood, splashed with gory spots,

Laut jaati hai idhar ko bhi nazar, kya kijeye,
Ab bhi dilkash hai tira husn, magar kya kijeye?

I cannot help but see them all.
Your beauty still attracts the heart; but what to do?

Aur bhi dukh hain zamane mein mahabbat ke siwa,
Raahten aur bhi hain, wasal ki raahat ke siwa.

There are other griefs in life,
Besides the joy of union, there’re other delights.