Wish I was a bird...

A Poem by Shri Shiv Kumar Batalvi - A Noted Punjabi Poet

 

PaNCHi Ho JaavaaN			PaNCHi Ho JaavaaN - To Be A Bird
Jee chaahe paNCHi ho jaavaaN UhDda jaavaaN, gaaoNda jaavaaN An-CHuh sikharaaN nu CHoo paavaaN Is duniya diyaaN raaHvaaN bhul ke Fer kade na vaapas aavaaN.			I wish that I could be a bird. That I could fly, that I could sing, That I could touch untouchable peaks, That I could forget the roads of this earth And never return.
Ja ashnaan karaaN vich zam-zam La DeekaaN peeyaaN Daan da paani. Maan-sarovar de beh kaNDe TuTa jeia ik geet maeN gaavaaN. Ja baeTHaaN vich khiRiyaaN rohiyaaN PhakaaN pauna itar sajoeeyaaN. Him-TeesiyaaN moeeyaaN moeeyaaN YugaaN yugaaN toN kakar hoeeyaaN GhuT kaleje maeN garmaavaaN. Jee chaahe paNCHi ho jaavaaN			I would bathe in holy wells, Swallowing great gulps of bountiful water. I would sit on the shore of a great lake, And sing a halting song. I would go into a flowering wilderness And inhale the perfume-laden air. I would warm the mountain peaks, Frozen by centuries of coldness, In a close embrace. I wish that I could be a bird.
Hoe aalhna vich shatootaaN JaaN vich jaND, kareer, sarooTaaN, Aaon pure de seet faraaTe, Lachkaare eyuN laen DaaliyaaN JyuN koi Doli kheDe jaRiyaaN.			My nest would be among mulberry trees In the caper, the mesquite or the cypress. When the cold east wind blew, The boughs would sway Like children playing on swings.
Ik din aesa jhakhaR jhule UD puD jaavan sabhe teele, Be-ghar be-dar maeN ho jaavaaN. Saari umar piyaaN ras gham da, Aese nashe vich jiNd haNDHaavaaN Jee chaahe paNCHi ho jaavaaN.			One day there would be such a storm, That all the twigs would scatter. Homeless, nestless, I would become. For the rest of my life I would drink the nectar of sorrow, And live my life in its intoxication. I wish that I could be a bird.