There Was a Time When I Loved Alone
There was a time when I loved alone
Without dream or friend
There was a time when your love was untrue
When I endured such torment that
I don't remember anything now but
There was a river ... or a villa ...
You confused my heart so much
That love shrank to a riddle
Yet had I been the slightest bit disloyal
You would almost have taken my life
Time is like the snakes
Devouring jasmine in my courtyard
Who can I tell, this sad evening
How bright the line of fate once was on my hand?
The literal translation of this poem was made by Nukhbah Langah
The final translated version of the poem is by Lavinia Greenlaw
Listen to a reading of this poem in English and the original language on the player below or download it to keep (MP3).
Other poems
Other Poems
© Poetry Translation Centre 2004-2013
Hina says:
Thank you for this lovely poem. The translation is good too. suggest Urdu recitation be done with better pronunciation.