Let Us Shake Hand With The Season
by Muhammad Shanazar
O! My enemy,
Confined and afraid in the trenches,
Across the boundary line;
Let us converse, break the ice,
Under rigid constraints of silence;
Conversation
Whose sweetness melts the ice,
Frozen since centuries,
Ice
Whose thawing season has reached ahead,
Let us shake hand with the season,
And compose a joint message for the Sun.
O! My enemy,
Let us converse, break the ice
With a conviction,
Under the hovering clouds of apprehension,
Conversation
That makes a window through the wall,
Window
That is the harbinger of luminosity,
Luminosity
That is the mother of life,
Life
That is in the claws of Death
Death
That assails peace in the darkness of night,
And peace
That is oxygen of our innocent children.
O! My enemy
We both have shed an ocean of tears,
Now let us sow the seed of smiles
On the barren lips,
For we owe to this earth,
And we have responsibilities of children too.
They are looking ahead to us
With wishful eyes.
Let us forget half a century
Replete with
Apprehensions and suspicions
And cultivate roses to garland
The descending generations.
(Written by Jawaaz Jafri Translated by Muhammad Shanazar)
From:
Muhammad Shanazar |
About MuhammadShanazar
Biography
Muhammad Shanazar, a famous contemporary poet from Pakistan, was born into a poverty stricken family in a village of Sub Division Gujarkhan District Rawalpindi, Pakistan, on 25th Nov., 1960. His father served in Pakistan Army; he was recruited by the colonial rulers when he was only 10 years old. On the day he was recruited, he wore only a shirt given by someone from the neighbourhood considering him an orphan child. Muhammad Shanazar got his early education from the local school. He passed his SSC Examination from Government High School Mandra, Intermediate from Government Hashmat Ali Islamia College, Rawalpindi, graduation from Gordon College, Rawalpindi, and M.A in English Literature, from University of the Punjab. After post graduation he served three years as a constable in Police Department. He found it uncongenial to his temperament and decided to leave it, meanwhile luckily he came upon an opportunity to join the Department of Education (Technical Wing) to render his services as a lecturer in English Language and Literature. After holding this position for seventeen years, he was promoted Assistant Professor, and at present he is serving at Government College of Commerce at Kahuta. He started seriously writing poetry with specific purpose behind it in 1998. He chose English to express the voice of his conscience. The prime objective he has been working for is to make humanity aware of the sanctity of human life i.e. “A single drop of human blood possesses more worth than all treasures that the Earth contains”. Voices Network from North Carolina U.S.A placed him among the prominent contemporary poets by awarding him the International Special Distinction “Poet in Residence” in 2004. Since then being one of the Poetry Judges of online international poetry contests hosted by Voices Network, he has been judging the poems. He also worked as an International Poetry Ambassador in Pakistan on the behalf of Voices Network, North Carolina and held several poetry reading sessions, to promote peace through poetry. Poemhunter of France and Bollywood of India chose him one of the ‘Top 500 Poets in the World’, World Society of Poets bestowed upon him honour by placing him among the prominent contemporary poets of the world. Govt. of Pakistan, Ministry of Education awarded him the award of “Promotion In Children Literature” with the cash prize. Muhammad Shanazar received appreciation from all around the world for his highly intellectual work.
