Majzoob's Hymn to God: “ I failed to recognize You( My God)!"(ما تۀ نۀ وپېژندلې )

Abdur Rahim Majzoob is a great Pashtu poet.
A living legend whose poetry is characterized by depth of thought, erudition, rich repertoire of local as well as classical lore and motifs. His exquisite diction, embedded in local dialects, spellbinds the reader.

Belonging to the Southern District Lakki Marwat of Khyber Pukhtunkhwa(Pakistan), he has blazed new trails in Pashtu poetry
which has immensely enriched the Pashtu literature.Detailed information about his life can be accessed at adabzar.blogspot.com and facebook group MAJZOB.
Here I am posting an English rendering of his HAMD(Hymn) in his book Dar-ul-Awham, titled as MA ta na wo pezhadaley( I failed to recognize You( My God!).
The poem describes in a beautiful symbolic way the theme,much cherished by Sufi poets, that God is manifested in various phenomenons but we fail to perceive
him becuase we are blinkered by our various worldly desires and engagements.

Majzoob's Hymn to God: “ I failed to recognize You( My God)!"(ما تۀ نۀ وپېژندلې)( English Rendering)

It was early evening; I could hear some distant shouts,
I thought this might be a beggar, knocking at some doors,
He might be begging for some scraps of bread,
Meanwhile my mind wandered off to some other things,
I failed to recognize You( My God) !
Lounging in my bed, I heard the bolt of the door rattled,
I brushed it off as some violent gust of wind,
A pitch dark night, dark clouds looming,
The moment I shut my eyes, sleep charmed me away,
Again I failed to recognize You!
At midnight some patter (on the roof) made me awake,
I thought it might be some rain, it might be drizzling,
The rain and wind made me fear for my crops of wheat and gram,
Amidst these apprehensions I dropped off to sleep,
I failed to recognize You !
Up in the rafters of the roof was a nest of the swallows,
In succession they were chirping out a variety of sounds and twitters,
What sweet , lilting music of those souls,
The day was breaking, birds were rising from sleep,
Again I failed to recognize You!
After sunrise I set out to eke out my living,
Spent all my day occupied in my daily jobs,
You must have crossed my path many a time,
But I was occupied with various errands, and these errands, You see, seldom end,
I failed to recognize You!
(Rendered Into English by Aslam Mir on 27.5.2020)

( Image: Courtesy: Zahid Amin-google group: Majzob, Syed-ul-Amin,Shabir Marwat)