The Island Of Sicily
(Iqbal’s Saqliya penned in 1908)
During his
voyage back home from Europe, the poet had a chance
to have a look
on the island from the ship which prompted him to
write this poem:
Weep whole heartedly O the tears of
blood dropping eye!
See! That is the tomb of the
civilization of Hijaz!
There was ever activity of the
desert dwellers here,
This was ever hub
of navigation of their ships here,
Who caused tremors in the courts of
the emperors,
Whose swords
shone like the thunderbolts,
Whose appearance
was the message of a new era,
Whose all-conquering
sword destroyed old era,
Whose revolutionary call to rise made the dead
world alive,
Man became free
of the shackles of superstitions,
The echo of whose
call has made the ears enjoying till now,
Is that takbir
silent for ever now?
Alas! O Sicily!
Thou art the prestige of the sea,
Thou art like
a guide in this desert of water,
May thy mole be
an adornment on the cheeks of the sea!
May thy lighthouses
be a solace to the sailors!
May thy scenery
be always pleasing to eyes of the travellers!
May the dance
of waves be always there on thy coastal rocks!
Thou wast the
hub of civilization of that nation,
Whose fiery view was world-illuminating,
The nightingale of Shiraz lamented on
destruction of Baghdad,
Daagh of Delhi wept
tears of blood on the Moghul empire,
When the heavens destroyed the Muslim empire of Spain,
The wounded
heart of Ibn-e-Badroun prayed for assistance,
The ill-fated
Iqbal was awarded thy mourning,
The destiny
pecked up the heart that was thy offender,
Whose story is
hidden in thy remains?
In the silence of thy coast pervades style of
address,
Tell me thy pain, I am wholly pained!
I am
the dust of that caravan whose destination was thee!
Colouring afresh the old painting, show it to
me!
Telling the
stories of bygone days, make me restless!
I will carry thy memory of rarity towards
India!
I, myself, weep here and make others weep
there!
(Suggestions
invited for betterment.)
