Rahmatullah Dard: English Translation of one of his ghazals:

Belonging to District Lakki Marwat Of Khyber Pukhtnkhwa, Pakistan, Prof. Rahmatullah Dard(1937-2016) was a leading Pashtu poet. Although the late poet taught Urdu literature in different colleges of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa,
all his poetry is in Pashto and he did very little in terms of Urdu poetry. He retired as the principal of the Government Post Graduate College in Bannu.

His literary efforts spread over several decades and almost all of his work was published in the form of a Kuliyat. It was known as Kuliyat-e-Dard and was compiled by Umar Daraz Marwat.His first poetry book was Ghazal, while the second one was Dard. In total, he published seven ghazal books. He had a very simple, lucid style, embedded in the simple lore and life of Lakki Marwat.( For his obituary visit https://tribune.com.pk/story/1173767/legendary-poet-rahmatullah-dard-passes-away/)

Following is my translation of one of his beautiful and insightful ghazals,my favorite one:(originally shared by me on my facebook wall on July 28 2018):

A Ghazal by Dard:( English Translation by Aslam Mir)

A spring of illumination is embedded in my being!
God forbid! The conscience gets snuffed out in my being !
Surging up to my lips,it turned into an ode,
A sacred document was stashed away in my being!
The moment a thought of sin I contemplate,
Somebody starts wailing in my being!
Neither my ego,nor my lusts could ensnare me,
My conscience is my preceptor in my being!
Every night they demand an account of the day,
The angels Munkar and Nakeer monitor my being!
Coveting neither crown,nor throne,
O Dard! a friar resides in my being!