*meray marnay par
koee nahin aayaga
afsos karnay
meri kabar par
jab tak main zinda hoon
main aapnay aak ko
yeh keh loon -
haey, yeh kya hua!
badi buri baat huee -
baday taras ki baat huee!
main mar gayee!
-tr. Ravi Kopra*
from the following English translation by
Steven D. Carter
Being a person
whom no one will mourn when gone,
I shuld perhaps
say for myself while still alive here -
“Ah, the pity, the pity.”
- Lady Izumi Shikibu ( c. 970-1050)