All My Friends Are at Work by Jaun Elia

In this poignant translation of Jaun Elia’s evocative Urdu poem, "Apne Sab Yaar Kaam Kar Rahe Hain," we encounter a profound sense of irony and existential disillusionment. The speaker paints a somber tableau of the world around them, where all their acquaintances are busily engaged in their tasks, while the speaker remains ensnared in a disenchanted state of introspection and paradoxical action. The poem explores themes of alienation and futility, revealing the stark contrast between the vibrant activity of others and the speaker’s own sense of impotence and empty ritual. Through a series of stark and haunting images, Elia captures the profound estrangement felt by one who is detached from the bustling world, their actions rendered futile amidst the grand, indifferent spectacle of life.

Translation: "All My Friends Are at Work"

All my friends are engaged in their toil,
And here I am, lost in idle name.

The thrill of blade-play, its allure remains—
Yet you, you bring about a massacre untamed.

The clamor of praise and accolade, why this noise?
We converse with ourselves in isolation’s frame.

We are busy arranging the affairs of our fate,
Yet what sort of arrangements are we to claim?

In this plight of helplessness we find,
We greet every soul, a solemn greeting lame.

A warrior we seek, an urgent call—
We declare this to the public domain.

What of the goblet’s edge, we ask,
We turn the cup into a chalice, in the same.

We came with purpose, to plead our cause,
Yet they honor us, in a form of their acclaim.

Not a wisp of sorrow’s smoke ascends,
In the heart’s courtyard, they leisurely frame.

With lips upon hers, we set our own,
Thus we conclude our tale, in love’s dark game.

In this strange abode of hers, we marvel still,
In the streets of her presence, we revel in fame.

Translated by:
Mason Carter