एक-तरफ़ा- Unrequited

Hello readers!

Last night, my friend Akshay (over at अक्स: किस्सा हिस्सो का) and I were talking casually when we decided to write a poem in Hindi. Surprisingly it turned out to be good and so, I decided to share it with you.

(Lines in green are his part and the ones in blue are mine.)

Here it goes-

एक-तरफ़ा

मैंने सुना नहीं, या शायद तुम बेज़ुबान थी,

मैंने जाना नहीं, या शायद तुम अंजान थी,

मैंने देखा नहीं, या शायद तुम थी ही नहीं।

 

तुम बोले, पर मैं अपनी धुन में सवार थी,

तुमने जताया, पर मैं अपने ख्वाबों की दुनिया में थी,

तुम थे, पर मैंने तुम्हें देखकर भी किया अनदेखा।

 

उस धुन में क्या तुम अकेले सवार थी?

क्या उस दुनिया में ख्वाब बस तुम्हारे थे?

क्यों किया अनदेखा जब पता था,

जो चली जाओगी तुम तो बस, राख हो जाऊंगा।

 

पता नहीं था, धुन मेरी है सवारी तुम्हारी

ख्वाब मेरे हैं दुनिया तुम्हारी

राख तुम, मैं दरिया का पानी।

---

English Translation (by Saumya)

Unrequited

I did not listen, or maybe you were mute,

I did not know, or maybe you were unaware,

I did not see, or maybe you were not there.

 

You spoke, but I was on a different flight,

You expressed, but I was in the world of my dreams,

You were there, but I ignored you.

 

Were you alone on that flight?

Were those dreams only yours?

Why did you ignore me when you knew

That if you leave, I’d burn to ashes.

 

I did not know, the flight was mine, you were the pilot

Dreams mine, the world was yours

You are the ashes, I am the water of the seas.

---

Photo by Martha Dominguez on Unsplash