Las Ramblas, by Lorette C. Luzajic, Translated into Urdu by Saad Ali and Maraam Pasha

This poem is after Plaza Real, by Josep Costa Vila (Spain) contemporary. Click here to view.

Las Ramblas

It rained that day, and you were tired and you were never tired, so we hailed a cab back to our Air B and B room. You took everything off and you never nap naked, crawled to stark sleep under a single sheet. Barcelona has a way of getting under your skin. The art, the fish, the wine. It was an old world covered in spiraling rainbows of broken pottery, and ceilings hanged with Spanish jamon. The spirits were everywhere.  
 
After awhile you stirred the way you always did if there was a shift in the room. Why are you crying? you asked and your voice was soft with sleep. Oh, I’m not crying, I said. You nodded. It’s only everything, I said. I knew you understood how I cried all the time. How I got so filled up with beauty, I had to release a bit of sea to get back to earth.

Lorette C. Luzajic

This poem was first published in MacQueen's Quinterly.

TRANSLITERATION
 
Ramblas
 
Uss din baarish hui thi, aur tum thake huwe thay aur tum kabhi bhi thake huwe nahein hote thay, toh hum ne apne Air BnB mein kamre mein wapis jane ke liye cab pakri. Tum ne apne saare kapre utaar diye aur tum kabhi bhi pure nange nahein soote thay. Halki chadar orh ker gehri neend so gye. Barcelona ka kisi ko apni terf maayal kerne ka eik khaas terika hai. Fan, machliyaan, sharaab. Woh eik purani dunya thi, totay howe mati ke bartanoon ki ghomti huwi qoos-e-qazaoon aur khushk kiye huwe ghost se latki chatoon mein dhaki huwi. Har teraf roohain thein.
 
Kuch lamhe ke ba’ad tum neend se eise baidaar huwe jaise tum hameesha hote thay agar kamre mein hal-chal hoti. Tum roo kayoon rehi ho? Tum ne poocha aur tmhari aawaaz ganoodgi mein dhemi thi. Oh, main roo nahein rehi, main ne kaha. Tum ne apna sar haan mein hilaaya. Bas, sab kuch iketthaa ho gaya hai, main ne kaha. Mujhe pata tha ke tum samajhte the ke mere har waqat roonay ki wajh kya thi. Kaise main khubsourti se magloob ho jati, apne aap mein lootne ke liye mujhe kuch aansoo bahaana parte thay.

translated by Maraam Pasha and Saad Ali

Saad Ali (b. 1980 C.E. in Okara, Pakistan) has been educated and brought up in the United Kingdom (UK) and Pakistan. He holds a BSc and an MSc in Management from the University of Leicester, UK. He is an (existential) philosopher, poet, and translator. Ali has authored five books of poetry. His latest collection of poetry is called Owl Of Pines: Sunyata (AuthorHouse, 2021). His work has been nominated for The Best of the Net Anthology. He is a regular contributor to The Ekphrastic Review. By profession, he is a Lecturer, Consultant, and Trainer/Mentor. Some of his influences include: Vyasa, Homer, Ovid, Attar, Rumi, Nietzsche, and Tagore. He is fond of the Persian, Chinese, and Greek cuisines. He likes learning different languages, travelling by train, and exploring cities on foot. To learn more about his work, please visit www.saadalipoetry.com, or his Facebook Author Page at www.facebook.com/owlofpines. 
​
Maraam Pasha (b. 1999 C.E. in Lahore, Pakistan) has been raised in Rawalpindi & Islamabad, Pakistan. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Accounting & Finance from the National University of Pakistan, Pakistan. By profession, she is a Marketing & Communication Executive, and now works at Mob Inspire, USA. She has been published in The Ekphrastic Review. She finds literature a way to connect with both herself and others. Her other interests include: photography, painting, music, travelling, baking, and sculpting. She shares her artistic creations on her page: www.instagram.com/maraam_pasha.

Lorette C. Luzajic's latest collection, The Neon Rosary: Tiny Prose Poems is available through Cyberwit Books.