Translated from the Punjabi by Amanpreet Kaur
O’ dear people of my country
come, heed my call.
In the peak hour of the noon,
on a road so wide,
a carcass keeps walking
sans head, alone
bumping haphazardly.
Go find his head
or else hold his finger
to walk him
home.
Harbhajan Singh (1920–2002) was an Indian poet, critic, cultural commentator, and translator in the Punjabi language. Along with Amrita Pritam, Harbhajan is credited with revolutionising the Punjabi poetry writing style. He published 17 collections of poems, including Registan Vich Lakarhara, 19 works of literary history and translated 14 pieces of literature of others including those of Aristotle, Sophocles, Rabindranath Tagore and selections from the Rig Veda.
Amanpreet Kaur is a Delhi-based poet. She is a post-graduate in English Literature from Delhi University and is currently pursuing M. Phil. in English from Panjab University, Chandigarh. Her poem has appeared in an anthology called The Mutiny That Lies Within published by The Write Order in 2021. She received the certificate for “Shreshtha Kavya Prastuti” in Sur-Sarita 2021 organised by Rashmi Rathi. She often shares her writing on her Instagram account @my_minds_journal_