Parveen Shakir was born on 24th November, 1952 in Karachi, Pakistan. She was highly educated with two masters degrees, one in English literature and one in linguistics. She also held a Ph.D and another masters degree in Bank Administration.She was a teacher for nine years before she joined the Civil Service and worked in the Customs department. In 1986 she was appointed the second secretary, CBR in Islamabad.
A number of books of her poetry have been published. In chronological order, they are Khushboo (1976), Sad-barg (1980), Khud-kalaami (1990), Inkaar (1990) and Maah-e-Tamaam (1994). Her first book, Khushboo, won the Adamjee award. Later she was awarded the Pride of Performance award, which is the highest award given by the Pakistan government.
On 26th December, 1994, on her way to work, her car collided with a truck and the world of modern Urdu poetry lost one of its brightest stars.
Parveen Shakir initially wrote under the pen-name of 'Beena'. She considered Ahmed Nadeem Qasmi her 'ustad' and used to called him 'Ammujaan'. She was married to Dr. Nasir Ahmed but got divorced from him sometime before her untimely demise in 1994. They had one son - Murad Ali.
mushkil hai ab shahar me.n nikale ko_ii ghar se
mushkil hai ab shahar me.n nikale ko_ii ghar se
dastaar pe baat aa ga_ii hai hotii hu_ii sar se
barasaa bhii to kis dasht ke be-faiz badan par
ik umr mere khet the jis abr ko tarase
is baar jo indhan ke liye kaT ke giraa hai
chi.Diyo.n ko ba.Daa pyaar thaa us buu.Dhe shajar se
mehanat merii aa.Ndhii se to manasuub nahii.n thii
rahanaa thaa ko_ii rabt shajar kaa bhii samar se
Khud apane se milane kaa to yaaraa na thaa mujh me.n
mai.n bhii.D me.n gum ho ga_ii tanhaa_ii ke Dar se
benaam musaafat hii muqaddar hai to kyaa Gam
manzil kaa ta'yyun kabhii hotaa hai safar se
pattharaayaa hai dil yuu.N ki ko_ii ism pa.Dhaa jaaye
ye shahar nikalataa nahii.n jaaduu ke asar se
nikale hai.n to raste me.n kahii.n shaam bhii hogii
suuraj bhii magar aayegaa is raah-guzar se
terii Khushbuu kaa pataa karatii hai
terii Khushbuu kaa pataa karatii hai
mujh pe ehasaan havaa karatii hai
shab kii tanhaa_ii me.n ab to aksar
guftaguu tujh se rahaa karatii hai
dil ko us raah pe chalanaa hii nahii.n
jo mujhe tujh se judaa karatii hai
zindagii merii thii lekin ab to
tere kahane me.n rahaa karatii hai
us ne dekhaa hii nahii.n varnaa ye aa.Nkh
dil kaa ehavaal kahaa karatii hai
beniyaaz-e-kaaf-e-dariyaa angusht
ret par naam likhaa karatii hai
shaam pa.Date hii kisii shaKhs kii yaad
kuuchaa-e-jaa.N me.n sadaa karatii hai
mujh se bhii us kaa hai vaisaa hii suluuk
haal jo teraa ana??? karatii hai
dukh huaa karataa hai kuchh aur bayaa.N
baat kuchh aur huaa karatii hai
abr barase to inaayat us kii
shaaKh to sirf duaa karatii hai
masalaa jab bhii uThaa chiraaGo.n kaa
faisalaa sirf havaa karatii hai
Translated by Asad Khan
1.Woh jaa chukaa hai
Magar judaai se qabl kaa
Ek narm lamhaThehar gayaa hai
Miri hatheli ki pusht per
Zindagi meinPehli kaa chand bun ker
He is gone.
But a tender moment,
from when he was hereis stuck;
On the back of my hand(and)
in my lifelike a crescent.
2.Raks karte hue
Jis ke shaano.n pe
tu ne abhi sir rakha hai
Kabhi me bhee is ki panaaho.n me thee
Faraq yeh hai ke me
Raat se qabl tanha hui
Aur tu subha tak
Is fareb-e-tahaffuz me khoyee rahe gee
while dancing,
the one upon whose shoulders
you rest your head
i too was once in his safeguard.
the difference is that
iwas abandoned before dark,
and you shall remain
consumed in this false sense of security till dawn.
Parveen Shakir
