Rahat Indori

These are my English translations of Urdu poems by Rahat Indori, an Indian poet, painter and Bollywood lyricist.

Rahat Indori (1950-) is an Indian poet, painter and Bollywood lyricist. He is also a former professor of the Urdu language at Indore University. Born Rahat Qureshi to a cloth mill worker father, Indori's website says his career graph has a "tough-times-to-tinsel-town element." Since attaining considerable success and acclaim, Indori has traveled widely to recite his poems at venues around the globe.

Intimacy
by Rahat Indori
loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

I held the Sun, Stars and Moon at a distance
till the time your hands touched mine.
Now I am not a feather to be easily detached:
instruct the hurricanes and tornados to observe their limits!

The Mad Moon
by Rahat Indori
loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

Stars have a habit of showing off,
but the mad moon sojourns in darkness.

Body Language
by Rahat Indori
loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

Your body’s figures are written in cursive!
How will I read you? Hand me the book!

Insatiable
by Rahat Indori
loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

This mighty ocean, so deep and vast!
If it sates my thirst, how long can it last?

Honor
by Rahat Indori
loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

Achievements may fade but the name remains strong;
walls may buckle but the roof stays on.
On a pile of corpses a child stands alone
and declares that his family still lives on!

Dust in the Wind
by Rahat Indori
loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

This is how I introduce myself to questioners:
Pick up a handful of dust, then blow …

Dissembler
by Rahat Indori
loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

In your eyes this, in your heart that, on your lips something else?
If this is how you are, impress someone else!

Rumor (M)ill
by Rahat Indori
loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

I heard rumors my health was bad; still
it was prying people who made me ill.

The Vortex
by Rahat Indori
loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

I am the river whose rapids form a vortex;
You were wise to avoid my banks.

Homebound
by Rahat Indori
loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

If people fear what they meet at every turn,
why do they ever leave the house?

Overshadowed
by Rahat Indori
loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

The brilliance of stars goes unnoticed
since the moon overshadows them every night.

So Be It
by Rahat Indori
loose translation by Michael R. Burch

If we’re opposed, so be it; there’s more to life.
There’s more to the skies than mere smoke.
When a fire breaks out, many wounds abound;
it’s not just my home in flames.
Yes, it’s true that many enemies also abound,
but they don’t control life with their fists.
What comes out of my mouth, are my words alone;
they don’t speak for me, do they?
Today’s rulers will not be tomorrow’s;
We’re all tenants here, not owners.
Everyone's blood irrigates Earth’s soil;
India is no one’s paternal possession.

The original Urdu text:

Agar khilaaf hai hone do jaan thodi hai
Ye sab dhuaan hai aasman thodi hai

Lagegi aag to aayenge ghar kai zad me
Yahan pe sirf humara makan thodi hai

Main jaanta hoon ke dushman bhi kam nahi
Lekin humari tarah hatheli pe jaan thodi hai

Humare muhn se jo nikale wahi sadaakat hai
Humare muhn me tumhari zuban thodi hai

Jo aaj saahibe masnad hain kal nahin honge
Kiraaydaar hain jaati makaan thodi hai

Sabhi ka khoon shaamil yahan ki mitti me
Kisi ke baap ka hindustan thodi hai

The following are links to related translations by Michael R. Burch:

Mirza Ghalib
Gulzar
Ahmad Faraz
Faiz Ahmed Faiz
Rahat Indori
Allama Iqbal
Nasir Kazmi
Rabindranath Tagore

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