ONCE MORE

Once more as I recalled those tear-filled eyes,

Once more did my heart heave a deep sigh,

Once more did I think of the Last Day,

Whenever I thought of your last goodbye.



There is stark desolation in the desert where I am,

It reminds me of the place I often call my home.

Ah, the barren feeling that creeps over me,

As I stand amid ruins where there is none to mourn!



I recall how I had once aimed a stone at a crazy wanderer,

A mad man in the street, when a voice within me cried:

Can you bear the pain if the stone hits your head,

And once more did my heart heave a sigh.

Author's Notes/Comments: 

This is a translation of a famous ghazal by Asadullah Khan Ghalib. I have used the terms "Crazy wanderer and a mad man on the streets" for "Majnoo" which in Arabic and Urdu means a man gone insane after a tragic love affair.

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