This Prisoner Breathes
I am trapped in a jungle of voices
In which I cannot spread my wings
Even so, you insist that I take flight
You will not set me free
And are so offended by my point of view
That you stitch my eyelashes closed
You insist that I must explain the weather
Terrorise my feet with echoes of chains
You say that my desire to be free
Is too much for your precious jungle
Yet you set fire to the boat carrying my feelings
Surround this sea of feeling with desert sand
But listen!
Whatever happens ...
Suffocation, torture, desert or jungle
This prisoner breathes
The literal translation of this poem was made by Nukhbah Langah
The final translated version of the poem is by Lavinia Greenlaw
© Poetry Translation Centre 2004-2010
NAEEM says:
Its not something particular, it is just a reference and there isn't any particular prisoner but as I understand is that it might refer todays human being. The troubles, the worries todays man got, it refers those things....
Zambeel says:
@Saracen:
Noshi Gillani is a poetess par excellence. and she got where she is today after getting though a lot of male chavunism and other struggles. I'm not sure but my best guess is that the poem is in defiance to all those who tried to subdue her.
Saracen says:
Why did Noshi Gillani write this particular poem? Is it in reference to something particular?