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ABOUT MY HAPPINESS AND SADNESS
I am brought out into this world,
In pain and tears as my mother trembles,
Shivers and quakes but does not cry out,
The way her new-born baby does when hurled...
I am raised and groomed, educated and taught,
To live my life as a decent human being,
And I try according to my level best,
To fulfil my role to the best of my art.
I am happy when I see others happier,
More warm and generous and even kinder,
As I see the seeds of Adam and Eve,
Having and sharing fun, joy and laughter.
I love to see the rich and affluent,
Sharing their good luck with the needy,
Admire them and find myself resplendent,
As my inner joy beams as contentment.
So I am happy to see my fellowmen happier,
And rejoice at how generous is the giver,
Who asks the hungry ones to have meals with him,
Or buys him a warm clothing to combat winter.
I rejoice in the midst of the poor,
As their small joys to me much matter,
I take part in their festivals and chatter,
And none can say that I hate their platter.
For I have learned from God and His prophets,
His saints and sages, His dedicated servants,
Specially those who are full of deep wisdom,
That all this is till the Day of Resurrection.
It is only when during these moments of happiness,
When I encounter falsehood, pride and selfishness,
That my joy drowns into the whirlpool of sadness,
And with me sinks deep down all the gladness...
I am saddened at what I cannot eliminate,
The pangs of hunger of the less fortunate,
Nor offer even a smile of encouragement,
To the downtrodden sleeping on the pavement.
I shun beggary and all social evils,
And daily I am face to face with these devils,
It is at these times that my joy evaporates,
And deep and deep inside me my grief suffocates.
I wonder often at the mysterious ways of God,
Why some die young though pure of heart,
And why some, despite their vain ways of living,
Are given more time to revel in their sinning.
I also quite often pause in my thoughts,
And think of how to help the have-nots,
Then I look high above as if asking my Creator,
Why doesn't He reign as the powerful Sustainer.
I also reflect on the deadly diseases,
That are incurable and all this increases,
The human sadness which steals my ease,
As my peace of mind and and repose vanishes.
My beloved says I must not be sad,
I love her beyond words and feel glad,
At her care and concern for me and my feelings,
But how can I overpower the pain seething...
Seething inside me to see my very kind,
Suffer at the blind ones of heart and mind,
I want to be happy like every normal man does,
But the age in which I am is nothing but fuss.
It is often like a play not written properly,
By the angels preordained by God Almighty,
I am very much sensitive to the countless afflictions,
Of my very own present and future generations...
If this is the world they are going to inherit,
Then not happiness but only sadness will be my merit,
Ah, my beloved, come, let's with our God get in touch,
And make the angels of fate rewrite the Holy Writ...
As the Persian poet Omar Khayyam once said,
After much thinking even my heart too bled,
At the ways of the world, which are only worsening,
With each passing moment is all happiness draining.
EPITAPH: AS WRITTEN IN THE RUBAIYAT OF OMAR KHAYYAM:
"Ah fate, if I and you could with Him conspire,
To grasp this sorry scheme of things entire,
Would we not shatter it to bits and then,
Remould it nearer to the heart's desire?"
MY ADDITION TO KHAYYAM'S BEAUTIFUL LINES:
O my beloved one, we strive to make this world better,
And for God's sake and yours I try to be merrier,
But when there is only pain, agony and suffering around,
Then tell me my beloved, how can we, our own selves flatter?
