This hindi wordplay ‘इक तरफ़ा इश्क़’ is a part of the series of poems which are based on the theme ‘One sided Love’. My earlier poem in this series, ‘इंतज़ार, longing for the beloved’ received a lot of love from many readers. While the earlier poem was about the lover’s yearning for his beloved, this piece brings out the lover’s anguish. He ruminates the fact that he doesn’t know what his beloved feels about him. And yet declares his intention that his love is eternal and not bound the perils of time!
This wordplay also has a reference to Mirza-Sahiba, a popular and controversial story of love. While Mirza and Sahiba were eloping, they were being chased by Sahiba’s brothers. After gaining some distance, Mirza and Sahiba decided to take some rest. While they were resting, Sahiba saw her brothers closing in on them and fearing for their lives, decided to unarm Mirza by breaking his arrows. Mirza was a valiant man and was unbeatable with his arrows in tact. Sahiba hoped that her brothers would not resort to violence but they ended up killing Mirza. Consequently, there and then, Sahiba decided to take her own life. In the folklore, Sahiba is often criticized for her actions and this love story is a bitter sweet ambivalent story of love and betrayal.
The lover’s anguish, of not even knowing if his beloved even cares about his life or death is captured in the lines of this hindi wordplay ‘इक तरफ़ा इश्क़’:
English Rendition:
This long dark night refuses to pass, and I can’t survive any night when I don’t think about you
I stare at the roof and think about you, imagining myself in your life gives me solace
even clouds can’t be around with the sky all the time, I feel content if you think about me once
one sided love means a certain heart-break, my friends call you Sahiba of my life
they mock me, and ask me how long will I wait for you, love that is bound by time is not love I retort,
the days of my life that pass by without you by my side, I don’t consider those as a part of my life anyway,
however, I am not lucky enough like Mirza, I don’t even know if you care about my life and death.
Interested in reading more wordplay?
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