Ayyoob 14

¹aurat say paida hua insaan chand ek din zinda raheta hai, aur us kee zindagee bechainee say bharee rahetee hai. ²phool kee tarah vah chand lamhon kay liyay phoot nikalta, phir murjha jaata hai. saay kee tarah vah thodee der kay baad ojhal ho jaata aur qaaim naheen raheta. ³kya too vaaqaee ek aisee makhlooq ka itnay ghaur say muaaina karna chaahata hai? main kaun hoon ki too mujhay peshee kay liyay apnay huzoor laaay?

⁴kaun naapaak cheez ko paak-saaf kar sakta hai? koee naheen! ⁵insaan kee umr to muqarrar huee hai, us kay maheenon kee taadaad tujhay maaloom hai, kyoonki too hee nay us kay dinon kee vah hadd baandhee hai jis say aagay vah badh naheen sakta. ⁶chunaanchay apnee nigaah us say pher lay aur usay chhod day taaki vah mazdoor kee tarah apnay thoday dinon say kuchh maza lay sakay.

⁷agar darakht ko kaata jaaay to usay thodee bahut ummeed baaqee rahetee hai, kyoonki ain mumkin hai ki mudh say komplen phoot niklen aur us kee naee shaakhen ugtee jaaen. ⁸beshak us kee jaden puraanee ho jaaen aur us ka mudh mittee men khatm honay lagay, ⁹lekin paanee kee khushboo soonghtay hee vah komplen nikaalnay lagega, aur paneeree kee see taheniyaan us say phootnay lagengee.

¹⁰lekin insaan farq hai. martay vaqt us kee har tarah kee taaqat jaatee rahetee hai, dam chhodtay vaqt us ka naam-o-nishaan tak naheen raheta. ¹¹vah us jheel kee maanind hai jis ka paanee ojhal ho jaaay, us nadee kee maanind jo sukad kar khushk ho jaaay. ¹²vafaat paanay vaalay ka yahee haal hai. vah let jaata aur kabhee naheen uthega. jab tak aasmaan qaaim hai na vah jaag uthega, na usay jagaaya jaaega.

¹³kaash too mujhay paataal men chhupa deta, mujhay vahaan us vaqt tak posheeda rakhta jab tak tera qaher thanda na ho jaata! kaash too ek vaqt muqarrar karay jab too mera dubaara khayaal karega. ¹⁴(kyoonki agar insaan mar jaaay to kya vah dubaara zinda ho jaaega?) phir main apnee sakht khidmat kay tamaam din bardaasht karta, us vaqt tak intizaar karta jab tak meree sabukdoshee na ho jaatee. ¹⁵tab too mujhay aavaaz deta aur main javaab deta, too apnay haathon kay kaam ka aarzoomand hota. ¹⁶us vaqt bhee too meray har qadam ka shumaar karta, lekin na sirf is maqsad say ki meray gunaahon par dhyaan day. ¹⁷too meray jaraaim thailay men baandh kar us par muhar laga deta, meree har ghaltee ko dhaank deta.

¹⁸lekin afsos! jis tarah pahaad gir kar choor choor ho jaata aur chataan khisak jaatee hai, ¹⁹jis tarah baheta paanee patthar ko ragad ragad kar khatm karta aur sailaab mittee ko baha lay jaata hai usee tarah too insaan kee ummeed khaak men mila deta hai. ²⁰too mukammal taur par us par ghaalib a jaata to vah kooch kar jaata hai, too us ka chihara bigaad kar usay faarigh kar deta hai. ²¹agar us kay bachchon ko sarfaraaz kiya jaaay to usay pata naheen chalta, agar unhen past kiya jaaay to yah bhee us kay ilm men naheen aata. ²²vah sirf apnay hee jism ka dard mahsoos karta aur apnay liyay hee maatam karta hai.”