I Am A Vendor, A Poem Of Rahi Masoom Raza Translated From Urdu Poem by Ravi Kopra

I am a vendor
I sell memories from my cart
cheap-costly, true-untrue, clean-dirty, multi colored memories-
tears dropping to lips
smiling eyes' new appeals.
I am a vendor
I sell memories
memories of colorful balloons,
yellow, blue, pink, red,
play at the ends of colorful threads
They will cry if you hit them
and will end up clinging to threads
I will then attach new balloons to these threads
and pass through the markets,
pass through the streets and
in front of falling or sturdy doors of houses
call out selling cheap-costly, true-untrue, clean-dirty memories.

***

The original in Urdu


maiñ ik pherī vaalā
bechūñ yādeñ
sastī mahñgī sachchī jhūTī ujlī mailī rañg-birañgī yādeñ
hoñT ke aañsū
ā.ankhoñ kī muskān harī fariyādeñ
maiñ ik pherī vaalā
bechūñ yādeñ
yādoñ ke rañgīn ġhubāre
niile piile laal gulābī
rañg-birañge dhāgoñ ke kandhoñ par baiThe khel rahe haiñ
Thes lagī to chīḳh uTheñge
dhāge kī gardan se chimaT kar rah jā.eñge
maiñ phir in rañgīñ dhāgoñ meñ yādoñ ke kuchh na.e ġhubbāre bāñdh ke galiyoñ bāzāroñ se
kachche pakke darvāzoñ se
āvāzeñ detā guzrūñgā
sastī mahñgī jhūTī sachchī ujlī mailī yādeñ le lo
hoñT ke aañsū
ā.ankhoñ kī muskān harī fariyādeñ le lo


-RAHI MASOOM RAZA