BILINGUAL POETRY BOOK

WOMAN IS HUMAN—rated 4 by 2 viewers

WOMAN IS HUMAN

[A woman pleads to be treated simply as a human being, not as an icon of virtue and purity]



Let me be a human being,
Goddess I don’t want to be.
Do not worship me; please don’t
Make an idol out of me.

You wish me to be so pure;
I’m so thankful to thee.
Sacrifice me not, O world,
On the cross of purity.

I also want to enjoy;
Worldly pleasures I, too, like.
Burqa, veil and the hijab,
I don’t want to in them hide.

I am ready to discharge
Duties whatever you tell.
Don’t, as object of worship,
Put me on a pedestal.

Even though equal I am,
For my rights I do not press.
I just ask you this favour:
Don’t address me as goddess.

Hark, O people of the world,
I’m no flame*, nor heavenly;
I am just a human being
Deal with me but humanly.



* Written in abcb 7-7-7-7 format


* Womanhood is revered in Hinduism. Goddesses Kali, Parvati, Lakshmi and Saraswati, symbolize, respectively, Power, Sacrifice, Money and Knowledge.


* Hijab—The covering over the face worn by Muslim women.


*Flame [shamma]—In urdu poetry, shamma is the icon of silent suffering. It burns to death silently, for the sake of others, spreading light in darkness.


* Translated from my original poem in Hindi-Urdu, given below.


M C Gupta

Created: 26 April 2003
Deleted as independent item: 2 April 2005


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AURAT BHI INSAAN HAI


Mujhe insaan rahane do, farishtaa na banaao.
Ibaadat ki nahin khwaahish, mujhe moorat na banaao.

Bahut paakeezagii mujh mein, bharii duniyaa ne hai lekin,
Mujhe paakiizagii kii paak, suulii pe na chadhaao.

Bahaar-o-rang duniyaa ke, mujhe bhii hain bahut pyaare,
Hijab-o-chilman-o-burqe, ke parde mein na chhupaao.

Farz main sab ki khaatir sab tariikon se nibaah luungii,
Nahiin darkaar puujaa kii, mujhe mandir na bithaao.

Baraabar huun, baraabar ka nahiin par maangtii huun haq,
Magar mujh pe karam bakhsho, main huun devii, na farmaao.

Are, O duniya waalo, shamma huun na huun main khudaai,
Khalish insaan huun insaaniyat se pesh tum aao.