§17. Zindagī se ḍarte ho?

——zindagī se ḍarte ho?

zindagī to tum bhī ho, zindagī to ham bhī haiñ!

ādmī se ḍarte ho?

ādmī to tum bhī ho, ādmī to ham bhī haiñ!

ādmī zabāñ bhī hai, ādmī bayāñ bhī hai,

is se tum nahīñ ḍarte!

ḥarf aur maʿnī ke ristah-hā-e āhan se, ādmī hai vā-bastah

ādmī ke dāman se zindagī hai vā-bastah

is se tum nahīñ ḍarte!

"an-kahī" se ḍarte ho

jo abhī nahīñ āʾī, us ghaṛī se ḍarte ho

us ghaṛī kī āmad kī āgahī se ḍarte ho!

——pahle bhī to guzre haiñ,

daur nā-rasāʾī ke, "be-riyā" ḳhudāʾī ke

phir bhī yih samajhte ho, hech ārzū-mandī

yih shab-e zabāñ-bandī, hai rah-e ḳhudāvandī!

tum magar yih kyā jāno,

lab agar nahīñ hilte, hāth jāg uṭhte haiñ

hāth jāg uṭhte haiñ, rāh kā nishāñ ban-kar

nūr kī zabāñ ban-kar

hāth bol uṭhte haiñ, ṣubḥ kī ażāñ ban-kar

roshnī se ḍarte ho?

roshnī to tum bhī ho, roshnī to ham bhī haiñ,

roshnī se ḍarte ho!

——shahr kī faṣīloñ par

dev kā jo sāyah thā pāk ho gayā āḳhir

rāt kā labādah bhī

chāk ho gayā āḳhir, ḳhāk ho gayā āḳhir

izhdihām-e insāñ se fard kī navā āʾī

żāt kī ṣadā āʾī

rāh-e shauq meñ jaise rāh-rau kā ḳhūñ lapke

ik nayā junūñ lapke!

ādmī chalak uṭṭhe

ādmī hañse dekho, shahr phir base dekho

tum abhī se ḍarte ho?

hāñ, abhī to tum bhī ho, hāñ, abhī to ham bhī haiñ,

tum abhī se ḍarte ho!