BADAR JAMAL
 Matloob Bokhari

In the peace of a luminous summer night,
I was sitting on a small silent rock all alone,
Watching sky, radiated with glowing moon
Trailing behind small fleecy clouds.
Stars were shining like lovely gems.
Overwhelmed by the serenity of night,
Vessel of my imagination began to sail
On green sea under the ethereal sky
I felt transported into a valley of flowers
Where mountains rose, majestic in their might,
Where sun-kissed hills, aglow with mellow light,
Where rippling streams went purling through glen,
Where the scent of flowers had filled the breeze,
In midst of singing birds and fragrant shrubs.
There was a silver lake, glistening in the vale.
Saiful Malook, on Malka Parbat, playing flute
Badar Jamal - a gentle and beauteous maid
Was caged by a demon in the middle of lake
Her bracelet and necklace chained her in cage
In utter depression, she prayed to lord
With sighing trees for freedom to fly
Saiful Malook who fell in love with Badar Jamal
Prayed, longed and yearned to set her free
For years, he wandered lonely as a fleecy cloud
Weeping with countless stars from dusk to morn.
One day, he spotted yonder a White Milk Light
Who offered Saiful Malook the water of faith
Which made him walk on quiet mass of lake
Then he sprinkled his blood on entrance of cage
Blood healed her wings; she made wordless flight
Floating in the air; soaring over mountain top
Finally, she wept and sighed and thanking said
“Saiful Malook, I shall keep you forever in my heart,
Together, we shall burn the light of love in darkness
We shall sing glory of freedom in devastated land.”
Freedom is scent of a rose and a budding tree
Freedom is beauty of Badar Jamal, sacrifice of Christ
Freedom is thought of Socrates and blood of Hussain”
Singing this, The Milk White Light vanished like dream