This poem, originally titled “Umar Guzray Gi Imtihaan Mein Kya” by the renowned Urdu poet Jaun Elia, reflects his deep sense of existential despair, solitude, and unanswered questions about life. Known for his melancholic tone and introspective musings, Jaun Elia delves into themes of isolation, melancholy, and the trials of life in a seemingly indifferent world. The translation, titled "What Shall This Life But a Trial Forlorn Be?", preserves the essence of the original while conveying an atmosphere of quiet sorrow and reflective thought, characteristic of Elia's style.
Translation: "What Shall This Life But a Trial Forlorn Be?"
What shall this life but a trial forlorn be?Translation by: Mason Carter
Shall but wounds be my lot, in grim mockery?
My every word, a shadow that fades,
Is there a flaw in the way it pervades?
None dare rebuke me, none dare intervene,
Is this the curse that bloodlines must glean?
We, the forsaken, hide our despair,
What pride remains for the destitute to wear?
I, severed from the world, estranged, alone,
Was it naught but my thoughts that had thus flown?
The shop of sight is shuttered, night descends,
What loss is there, where no hope lends?
O my heart's dusk and dawn, my twilight gleam,
Dost thou yet bathe in some ghostly stream?
Why speak they not for my righteous plight?
Hath their tongues blistered in the silence of night?
The quiet hums, a tremor in mine ear,
What shadowed thought, what dread draws near?
The heart that drifts in reverie deep,
Does it too on its own self weep?
When he I meet, this question shall I pose,
Am I still sheltered where thy shadow grows?
He stares long into the endless void above,
Is there one who dwells in those heavens, thereof?
The breath of spring is laced with dust and gloom,
Hath this house become but a forsaken tomb?
Why doth no peace within me reside?
Was it but one soul, that once the world supplied?