Zahoor Shah Hashmi
Zahoor Shah
(April 21st, 1926 to March
23, 1978) was a
renowned poet and writer. A few excerpts from his book of prose, Sistagien
Dastunk, rendered freely in English, are reproduced below to show that he was
deeply shocked to see the Baloch losing their national sovereignty.
My heart bleeds
To wet the barren land for my miserable people in the hope that one day these lands will turn green and there will grow red flowers. Gather the seeds of those flowers. Because these are from my blood.
After subjugation for a thousand years the Baloch is still oppressed by the merciless, He is a people who can hardly be crushed.
I am like those brave youths who have been ambushed by the enemy...
Injured by sword, they are lying hopeless in a vast desert without water...
Hungry wolves are waiting to eat their flesh after they breathe their last.
But I tell them (the enemy] not to be off guard:
Revered mothers will bear such invincible sons again...
The one whose ‘hands are red with my blood, says he is pure;
The other, like a jackal who has stolen my pouch, boasts of being a tiger,
The third that has snatched a portion of my shawl, and has an eye on my shirt, says, ‘I am your brother;
The fourth one is so courteous that I am frightful...
We (the Baloch) do not want your buildings do not set our huts on fire,
We do not require your forts; do not surround our horns;
We do not need your stores,
Do not ravage our fields,
We do not demand your ships; do not destroy our boats;
We do not desire your craft do not snatch our camels,
We do not aspire to your Armor's; do not break our arms;
Do not oppress us...
Lest you may be oppressed by a superior spirit...
We are still unarmed...
And living under the shadow of the swords. But we are not hopeless...
A day will come...
When we will be shadowing the swords. If you are not imperceptive than believe that you are desperately miserable.
Sayad Zahoor Shah, in a poem, Va Diga Suhrien Madene, expresses in a very lucid language the Balochs determination to fight his way through for emancipation and freedom.
To wet the barren land for my miserable people in the hope that one day these lands will turn green and there will grow red flowers. Gather the seeds of those flowers. Because these are from my blood.
After subjugation for a thousand years the Baloch is still oppressed by the merciless, He is a people who can hardly be crushed.
I am like those brave youths who have been ambushed by the enemy...
Injured by sword, they are lying hopeless in a vast desert without water...
Hungry wolves are waiting to eat their flesh after they breathe their last.
But I tell them (the enemy] not to be off guard:
Revered mothers will bear such invincible sons again...
The one whose ‘hands are red with my blood, says he is pure;
The other, like a jackal who has stolen my pouch, boasts of being a tiger,
The third that has snatched a portion of my shawl, and has an eye on my shirt, says, ‘I am your brother;
The fourth one is so courteous that I am frightful...
We (the Baloch) do not want your buildings do not set our huts on fire,
We do not require your forts; do not surround our horns;
We do not need your stores,
Do not ravage our fields,
We do not demand your ships; do not destroy our boats;
We do not desire your craft do not snatch our camels,
We do not aspire to your Armor's; do not break our arms;
Do not oppress us...
Lest you may be oppressed by a superior spirit...
We are still unarmed...
And living under the shadow of the swords. But we are not hopeless...
A day will come...
When we will be shadowing the swords. If you are not imperceptive than believe that you are desperately miserable.
Sayad Zahoor Shah, in a poem, Va Diga Suhrien Madene, expresses in a very lucid language the Balochs determination to fight his way through for emancipation and freedom.
The Baloch will crush the enemy, shedding blood and
drinking it in revenge, the poem says. In Hazar Ganjien Napan Tawan Kanien, he
exhorts the Baloch not to hesitate to withstand the difficulties, which may
come in the way of their great objective. He reminds the Baloch of their
glorious past and asks for sacrifices to secure a position of honor and
respect16 In Sarjam Bothagant, he tells them that the enemy wishes their
oblivion. Weakness is the last link between strength and miserable ness. Wake
up and do something for your survival, he exhorts them. In Shamushkar Naban,
Sayad Zahoor says he cannot forget the Baloch country; the vast barren land,
its valleys, mountains and rivers, which he feels, are unforgettable. The
people and their history, their bravery and courage and the hardship they
suffer, can not be erased from his memory.
In an unpublished poem, Sankalan Sindien, he urges the reader to find a way to break the chains of slavery. He calls upon the Baloch to follow the footsteps of their forefathers, who resisted the enemy and never let themselves be dominated by others. Unless the enemy is defeated there will be no peace for the Baloch in their country, he says. In another poem, Gehien Shahsawaran, the poet exhorts the people to fight the enemy who has occupied his land. He is optimistic that the enemy will be defeated. The Baloch will surely carry the day. In Mangahien Baloch, the poet takes pride in the idea that the Baloch are determined to give battle to the enemy. He hopes that the Baloch will crush the enemy and avenge the wrong done to them.
In an unpublished poem, Sankalan Sindien, he urges the reader to find a way to break the chains of slavery. He calls upon the Baloch to follow the footsteps of their forefathers, who resisted the enemy and never let themselves be dominated by others. Unless the enemy is defeated there will be no peace for the Baloch in their country, he says. In another poem, Gehien Shahsawaran, the poet exhorts the people to fight the enemy who has occupied his land. He is optimistic that the enemy will be defeated. The Baloch will surely carry the day. In Mangahien Baloch, the poet takes pride in the idea that the Baloch are determined to give battle to the enemy. He hopes that the Baloch will crush the enemy and avenge the wrong done to them.
Sayad Zahoor Shah Hashomi Passed away, March 23, 1978 after a long,
courageous battle with illness.
Courtesy: By Jan
Mahmmad
