Wish I was a bird...
A Poem by Shri Shiv Kumar Batalvi - A Noted Punjabi Poet
PaNCHi Ho JaavaaN
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PaNCHi Ho JaavaaN - To Be A Bird
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UhDda jaavaaN, gaaoNda jaavaaN An-CHuh sikharaaN nu CHoo paavaaN Is duniya diyaaN raaHvaaN bhul ke Fer kade na vaapas aavaaN. | 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. | ||
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 | 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. | ||
JaaN vich jaND, kareer, sarooTaaN, Aaon pure de seet faraaTe, Lachkaare eyuN laen DaaliyaaN JyuN koi Doli kheDe jaRiyaaN. | In the caper, the mesquite or the cypress. When the cold east wind blew, The boughs would sway Like children playing on swings. | ||
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. | ||