by Muhammad Shanazar
Today amid the thick forest,
I am here again on the high mound,
The central seat to administer
The cattle left loose around.
It is the same peak where we all
In the days of my childhood sat,
The reverend shepherds rested
Gossiped about the olden times
Narrated they life long experience,
And some twisted the fibers of jute
On the rotators to make cots.
Different noises of life gurgled
From all sides around,
The goats bleated, the hounds barked,
The sheep moved lazily after being fed,
The camels ate tassels of the trees
The donkeys brayed at the noon,
The bulls fought entangling horns,
The birds chirped in the shadowy branches.
Here are the patches where the old women
Of the village came to scythe grass green,
I see my mother too, carrying the stuffed sack,
Going back to home in the long queue.
At noon the damsels or the elderly ladies
Of the village brought our lunch
With pickle, or onions or sugar
Home baked bread smeared with butter,
And milk in the earthen pots.
We all excitedly waited for the moment,
Then gentle winds made us all sleepy,
We slept sweet sleep on the bare ground,
While the cattle sat, rested and chewed.
When evening encroached, we measured
The stretched shadows with our feet
To know the time of return,
And we moved exhausted to homes
Behind the trails of surfeited lazy cattle.
Ah! It is the same old forest
That often makes me nostalgic,
Melancholic memories begin to assemble
Forcing the tears to drop into dust.
Sounds of life come from neither side,
The trees stood dressless like ghosts,
Or like bony skeletons that haunt in dreams,
As if flesh of nature has been eaten away
By the callous scavenger modernity.
Now I being engrossed in the pensive mood
Hear nothing but the dirge of doleful silence
While air passes through stiff dry grass.
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ABOUT THE POET ~
Muhammad Shanazar is a poet from Pakistan, he started his career from very humble beginnings. In his early age he did all odds jobs, he ploughed farms, grazed of the cattle, mowed grass, sold vegetables, cut wood for fuel etc. He went school bare-feet and learnt alphabet of English at the age of 10. He had keen interest in getting education and his hard work led him to the heights of success. After having done Master in English Literature, he served for three years in Police Department then he got an opportunity in Higher Education Department as a lecturer. Now he is Associate Professor and on the verge of retirement, he emerged as a poet and translator in the world and got many international awards and literary honours. He is recipient of:, • Universal Inspirational Poet., • World Icon of Peace, • The International Best Translator 2012, • 1st Four Stars Ambassador in the World, • Admin of 400 Portals of World Union of Poets, • Naji Naaman Literary Laureate Prize 2015, • Extraordinary Ambassador for Gratis Culture, • Poet of the World, Cross for Peace, • Cross for Literature, • Pride of Pakistan, • Herbert Macaulay Award, • Nominee for the Nobel Prize 2015, • World Laureate in Literature 2017, • Pride of the Globe, • Literaurnost Gold Award, • The World Best Poet 2017, • Pride of the Globe 2017, • Ambassador of Humanity, • Poetic Galaxy Award, • Ambassador of Justice and Peace, • Ambassador De Literature, • Connoisseur De Poetry 2018, • one of The Best Six Writers of the World, • A Certificate of Recognized from UNESCO, • Noble Star for Literature 2018, • Global Literature Guardian Award 2018, • The World’s Most Inspirational Writer’s Award, • World Icon of Literature, • World Ambassador of Literature, • Temirqazyq The Best Poet of The World 2018, • Master of War Imagery, • Global Doves of Peace, • Living Legend Of 21st Century, • Honoured Poet of Pakistan, • Mentor of World literature, • Nominee for The Alternative Nobel Prize 2020 (Livelihood Award), • World Icon of Peace by World Parliament of Peace., • Anton Chekhov Award, The State of Crimea, Russia., • Master of Creative Impulse by Philosophic Poetica and Grand Production Canada., • Certificate of Achievement by Munir Mezyed Foundation for Arts and Culture, Romania., • Film and Literature International Award by World English Writers Union, India., • HIS EXCELLENCY Yasser Arafat Peace Award 2019., • Global Icon of World Peace, literature and Culture by Galaxy International Foundation, India., He is a life-time member of IPTRC China and International Writer Association (IWA), USA, Senator World Parliament of Literature, Dean-Poetry Critic and Assessment at Motivational Strips Academy of Literary Excellence and Wisdom. He is the Secretary General of World Institute for Peace Nigeria, 2nd Secretary General of World Union of Poets, Italy and the First Vice President of World Nations Writers’ Union Kazakhtan. He has been conferred upon Honourary Doctorate in Peace and Humanitarian Education. He writes against war, his work has been published worldwide in different anthologies., His published and unpublished books are Gems, The Cold Stars, The Dance of Darkness, Cries In The Wilderness, Voyages and Visions, The Black Roses, The Scent Of Love and Bells Of The Bygone Days. His translated books are The Alien Eyes’ ‘Wrist in the Clutches of Death’ ‘A Tempest In Silence, ‘Sugar Coated ‘Symphony and other Poems’ ‘Snowy Sunlight’ The Coin of Death, ‘A Garland of Poems’ Withering Dreams, A Saga of Love and The Crop Of Stars., For more information his name may be search on google.
Last updated June 22, 2011