Chalo Ek Baar Phir Se


       Chalo ek baar phir se ajnabi ban jaye hum dono

The lovers meet under the moonlight beside the stream; the soft ripple of the water sounds like a piano being played, light trickles down from the starry sky onto the earth, fragrance of love spreads everywhere.
Na mai tumse koi umeed rakhu dilnawazi ki
He holds her in his arms and she sways to the rhythmic beats of her heart. The moon runs along the sky like a moving camera recording the lovers every action. Sometimes even the poet becomes speechless; some moments can only be experienced, not expressed.
Na tum meri taraf dekho ghalat andaaz nazron se
Eyes say a lot; sometimes more than words. They gaze at each other as if they are seeing a holy shrine; the atmosphere is smug with expectation, romance is in the air and the call of the nightingale adds music to the moment.
Na mere dil ki dhadkan ladkhadaye meri baaton mein
The language of love is spoken in blissful isolation; the words float away towards the cosmos. Night hesitates in moving forward but time doesn’t want to become still, still. It flows like the dupatta of the lady whose face is partially hidden by the hair cascading over her shoulders.
Na zahir ho tumhaari kashmakash ka raaz nazron se
Ecstasy, pure ecstasy! The glowworms glimmer like stars. The thin line between love and lust narrows. The oasis in the desert is thirsty.
Chalo ek baar phir se ajnabi ban jaye hum dono
They hold hands but not firmly; the grip is loosening. 
Tumhe bhi koi uljhan rokti hai peshkadmon se
There is no movement; silence has fallen and still there’s no sound. But then whose footsteps are these? Who is around? In the darkness the eyes of the two lovers can only see each other.
Mujhe bhi log kehtae hai ke ye jalwe paraaye hai
The water in the stream begins to freeze. The nightingale flutters its wings as if it is trapped.
Mere humraah bhi rusvaiyaan hai mere maazi ki
Present shrinks, past looms like a monster. They turn around as if they are strangers and yet they stay rooted to the ground. Suddenly the sword of Damocles hangs over their heads. Love becomes a mystery which they both try to unravel.
Tumhare saath bhi guzri hui raaton ke saaye hain
Nights have their secrets. And secrets when shared don’t remain secrets. A shadow lurks around; shadowy shadow, somewhere in the vicinity, but they can’t see, they can’t speak, they can’t breathe.
Chalo ek baar phir se ajnabi ban jaye hum dono
Passion is dying, a slow, torturous death. 
Taaruf rog ho jaye toh usko bhoolna behtar
Sometimes we connect with the right person in the wrong situation; and sometimes with the wrong person in the right situation. Memories become a venomous snake. 
 Taalukh bhoj ban jaye to usko todna achcha
What you build on weak foundations will one day get blown away. We are the architects of our own damnation. Footsteps reverberate.
 Woh afsaana jise anjaam tak laana na ho mumkin
Love has many faces; it takes wisdom to recognize which one is true. The footsteps come closer. They look around but see no one except their own shadows which present a ghastly sight.
Usse ek khoobsoorat mod dekar chordna achcha
From the distance they are being watched. They part ways. The moon hides behind the clouds and in the blackness, they fade away.
Chalo ek baar phir se ajnaabi ban jaye hum dono
The lovers become strangers. The stream continues to sing the song of love. There are newer milestones to set. 
-  NZ
17.11.2019
BN: 191






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