Urdu Poetry
| Speak! |
| Speak! Your lips are Free |
| Speak! The Dawn is in Sight |
| Speak! Life is Fleeting |
| Dastoor (System) |
| The light that burns only in castles, |
| Which serves the pleasure of a few, |
| Which thrives in the shadow of compromise, |
| Such a system, like a Dawn without light, |
| I do not accept it, I do not recognize it! |
| I'm not afraid of being executed! |
| Tell the rulers that I am “Mansoor” (a Martyr)! |
| Why do you frighten us with prison walls? |
| The rule of oppression, I do not accept! |
| The night of Ignorance, I do not recognize! |
| I do not accept it, I do not recognize it! |
| “The flowers beginning to bloom on the branches,” you claim; |
| “Every glass overflows,” you claim; |
| Wounds heal by themselves, you say; |
| These blatant lies, |
| This slander of reason, |
| I do not accept it, I do not recognize it! |
| For centuries, you plundered our peace of mind. |
| But your power over us comes to a conclusion. |
| Why do you claim to heal their pain? |
| Even if some claim that you healed them, |
| I do not accept it, I do not recognize it! |
| Poet: Habib Jalib—A Revolutionary—A Legend— |
| Translated by Khawaja Tahir Mahmood |
