© POETS INTERNATIONAL CLASSICS

The Sonnets of
MOHAMMED FAKHRUDDIN
1

Sweet memories are fathomless delight:
My dried-out heart blooms like a desert rose.
I live. I die!  Forgotten dear plight:
My flesh and mind refined a lost repose
My mind surveys the woodlands of desire
Heart tranquility in a fairyland
Imagination leaps, as if on fire.
Sleep shines! I wake.  Hear my love’s command.
This is no limitation, and my dreams
Which, like volcanic floods, so interact
That, all cascades before them nothing seems
To question my delight this is a fact.
But dreams are facts called phantoms of the mind.
The heart is self-deceived, and love is blind.

The Sonnets of
MOHAMMED FAKHRUDDIN
2

Our thought, serene, imbued with patience, is
For perfect contemplation our sure need.
Suppression fails, like other hindrances
Which, churning in the mind, serve there as feed...
Silence, seclusion: these are realms of gold,
Threshold and gate into eternity;
Who turn to the Almighty and take hold
Of faith to end it, meet the Deity.
Our heart, though in this world, is paradise
For those who seek their God: for it is in
The mind alone that we encounter lies,
We find the soul where we find God: within.
Quit this dark world. Quit hell and earth, both grim.
Be as the soul is. Now, with God! In Him

The Sonnets of
MOHAMMED FAKHRUDDIN
3

There is a valley between high and low
And smooth-browed hills a place where I would go
By running crystal streams through pathless woods,
I walked there most in spring, when waking buds
And early flowers and the honeybee
Were sweet upon the air, delighting me,
At times, a songbird, warbling in the sky
Would break through mist and hover.  There was I.
Too strong, too deep, a joy with me alone
I walk alone as now, I walk; a stone
Shaped like a jewel hung above my heart!
It is a ruby.  Here it is.  My art
Encapsulated here; a thing of worth:
As jewels is not ordinary earth.

The Sonnets of
MOHAMMED FAKHRUDDIN
4

Every dawn, just as the sun up rises,
Hiding in ferns and trees, a small bird sings
Like the breeze, it suddenly surprises
Then butterflies with multi-coloured wings
Dazzle the eye and fill the heart with joy.
Then honeybees are busy here and there,
Staring creatures of the wild deploy
In silence all their skills and each with care,
So life reveals its splendour and I, waiting
To see you come to me, remain stock-still
As if a live statue contemplating
The name of love, submitting to its will
Enlightened, light will not now go away,
And thus your slender coming seals the day.

The Sonnets of
MOHAMMED FAKHRUDDIN
5

Dusky you are, favourite of my heart!
Stir my soul with glimpses of your features
Hidden behind the veil of love and art
Bewitching is your beauty. Of all creatures,
You most intoxicate. Your soul excels
At peering through the curtain of the eyes,
Intent to kill or maim! No story tells
More than your tongue and lips of paradise!
How inexpressible the way you walk,
How rich the coquetry curbed in your voice!
Your silent beauty speaks far more than talk
So that, I look, and worship, and rejoice
Who would be me, of love and beauty bard?
A prisoner, enslaved; life's going hard?

The Sonnets of
MOHAMMED FAKHRUDDIN
6

She listened to my fumbling speech with joy.
She stood breast high.  We bumbling boys, forlorn.
Seeing her coming, eager to employ
Awaking passion, hopeful in its dawn
She, like a lovely angel, heaven-born,
And we mere mortals groveling below
If we resented this, it showed as scorn
Pretending an indifference; although
Much angered by her smiles and azure mirth
She stood breast-high amongst us, we enslaved
As if she were an angel come to earth.
We hungered after her, not yet depraved
But captivated by awakening lust!
Ashes to ashes may be, dust to dust?

The Sonnets of
MOHAMMED FAKHRUDDIN
7

Love, if too young, cannot know what age is
Yet who knows not that age is born of love?
Call me 'a cheat' (may be?). If you are wise,
Realize truth or else bid me adieu
The truth is that love recognizes love,
When two eyes meet souls mingle together,
Then hearts beat faster, making the blood glow
But, come what may, lovers do not bother
Love in you is waiting, open for me
I feel too hot to touch you, and to love
What holds us two apart you know: you see
My guilt, my faults, and your sweet self may approve
No barriers of age hold back. I call
Only for 'love', for love we rise and fall.

The Sonnets of
MOHAMMED FAKHRUDDIN
8

You are a thing of beauty heaven-sent
And you as beauty fill my thought with song.
You are as pleasing as an instrument:
A joy, to look at sounding sweet and strong
How rare and wonderful it is to see,
To hear, to treasure, understand and touch!
This thing of joy is surely not for me
For I do not amount to very much!
Yet, when we are together, you and I,
You holding my two hands, it seems my heart
Leaps far from life and death, and cannot die:
We both exalted in the realm of art.
Love begets love, love bears love. Even so,
Hatred or jealousy will make love go.

The Sonnets of
MOHAMMED FAKHRUDDIN
9

Can you not hear this voice? It is my soul
Reverberating in my hollow heart!
Do you play foul or fair? In part or whole,
Are you a flirt or not? For such your art
That I no longer judge and reason spins
A thousand tales and each one ends in woe
It is in expiation of these sins
Lovers commit that I now undergo.
I am obsessed, enslaved by dreams of you
But I am empty and I weep no more.
What is a lie? Please tell me: What is true?
For I am empty to my deep heart's core!
This is a torment barren of sweet tears,
My life is death, and not what it appears.

The Sonnets of
MOHAMMED FAKHRUDDIN
10

Tomorrow, like today and yesterday
Life will surge forward like an endless breeze
Upon some arctic waste: I left to freeze
As if a frozen statue of this may.
Gone are the days and nights when I had time
To think of betterment and having fun;
I am pre-occupied, and have begun
To spurn the unobtainable sublime,
Regret!  What is it but a retrospect?
Remembered whilst our longings keep their power?
Anticipation!  If the present sour,
Can things to come be free of that defect?
I thank God for all will pass.  As all things do,
I too try out for happiness like you.

The Sonnets of
MOHAMMED FAKHRUDDIN
11

Thinking of you is pleasure. Thoughts may please
But, unfulfilled, they poisoning the blood--
Contain the stings that kill like honey bees
Or death that lies beneath the serpent's hood.
Sweet silent whispers are like butterflies
That kisses flowers of the fields, but show
As does the serpent's bite where sure death lies!
I think this all that lovers need to know.
The rest is fiction. Lovers can believe
That black is white, white black; with worse to come
Oh, that in love we might at least retrieve
A little of good sense some say that some
Who can recover do so at great cost?
Memory cheats. Who fantasize is lost. 

The Sonnets of
MOHAMMED FAKHRUDDIN
12

No poet I; disciple of the mind.
Rather I am a minister of woe
My heart is full and I am not unkind,
But I an trapped by memory and know
That, till it dies, I am its prisoner!
I mesmerize myself. I see the flame
And feel the pain of it; and I see stir,
Amongst the shadows, one who walks to claim?
My soul as ransom for a promised kiss
For which I waited far too long; I pray:
My dreams detain me. Life has come to this:
The thoughts that haunt me will not go away.
Give me, perhaps, your sacramental wine!
Better that dream than this if both are mine.

The Sonnets of
MOHAMMED FAKHRUDDIN
13

If I am source of some delight to you,
As you are, all in all, joys to me,
Then no doubt we have solved the mystery
Of perfect unity none can undo.
Now time, which seems to separate, unites
And places, where we dwell, divide no more.
Natural law seems ended: Other law
Says days are no more days, nor night’s mere nights.
So we make use, each moment of our lives,
Of that within, which none can do without?
Love, when perfected, terminates all doubt.
It is for this each ailing true heart strives.
But what a failure comes to us if when
Love dies between false women and false men. 

The Sonnets of
MOHAMMED FAKHRUDDIN
14

The deep blue-sky look royal during day,
Romantic at night, sensuous in eve;
Winsome in the morning, breaks rays of love,
Interacts with all but loves none to say:
Love is a means, through which heart speaks with heart,
Soul merges with soul, mind communes with mind,
Feeling warms up blood, longing eyes turn blind
See nothing but love, two halves of a part:
Made for each other, draw divine pleasure,
Through words, through syntax, through vision, phrases,
Feel the rhythm of speechless messages,
It’s Love, pure love, love beyond measure
Now tell me, are you not in love with me?
If so, allow love-stream join the sea.

The Sonnets of
MOHAMMED FAKHRUDDIN
15

Clouds, gathering, pile up in fields of air.
The sun seems tethered to the earth, behind
Thick walls of cloud, creating deep despair!
As darkness gathers, making all things blind,
Unseen wind, howling circles Drenching rain
Threatens but does not come.  All things retreat
Into their nests or burrows, fearing pain;
And I am numb and frozen to my feet.
Yet my heart leaps: The hazard yet to come
Looms like a heaving ghost of massive weight,
The storm now breaks, and I am stricken dumb:
It is this power that I celebrate!
Caught up, I am thrown down.  I gasp for air . . .
To live! Or die! With no time for despair!

The Sonnets of
MOHAMMED FAKHRUDDIN
16

I loved you well, and then left you at my will.
I gave my heart, in turn I pain received.
Your infidelity torments me still.
I do not know why I was so deceived.
Futile, I know, to blame you for your deeds
The part you played by part-ignoring me
And then enslaving me till the heart bleeds!
You played the game of love too perfectly.
Had you ignored me firmly once for all,
Giving no space in life to me as lover,
Then had I spurned you, set you beyond call,
Giving my heart, and me, time to recover!
But now I say: Best marry who loves you
Not whom you love. God help me, this is true.

The Sonnets of
MOHAMMED FAKHRUDDIN
17

When deeply hurt, sometimes I wallow
In shallow water, leaping like a fish;
Strength vanishing, I then feel hollow;
Brittle, shattered, like a broken dish . . .
My anger spreads all over.  I go mad.
Wild fire burns within, and what I do
I do not know, nor know the good from bad,
Nor right from wrong, nor recognize the true
Time and again, I feel that I am damned,
Like jelly stones in concrete set in stone,
Hammered and broken, buried deep and rammed
Into a living bomb!  I am alone.
Desires, aims, and will, submit to death
And yet, though dead, I live, and still draw breath.

The Sonnets of
MOHAMMED FAKHRUDDIN
18

Bards of all passions on this earth
Do you know what the pure heart seeks?
As I, do you endure the mirth?
And mockery of rosy cheeks,
Sharp sidelong glances that can kill,
And eyes that murder easily?
Dear friends, I fear that I am ill
With a contagious malady
It is as if within my heart
I built a temple where I crown,
Upon the altar of my art
The goddess, Love, who bids me drown
Myself for her as others died:
My sacrifice; my suicide!

The Sonnets of
MOHAMMED FAKHRUDDIN
19

The poems I recite and write,
I choose for beauty all can see.
I wish to free that sudden light.
Beauty is honey-sweet, for me!
Where the beauty that I seek?
Is it for me, if it is lost?
The beauty of which I would speak
Cannot be bought at any cost!
To love, a lover must be loved,
Held by the hand in high esteem!
By loneliness what is improved?
Reality becomes a dream.
Let beauty shine! And let this light
Be in each line I choose to write.

The Sonnets of
MOHAMMED FAKHRUDDIN
20

A symbol of fidelity,
Or a source of inspiration,
Goldmine of sensuality,
Or a treasure trove of passion;
Tell me now what else shall I call?
Face emotional explosions?
Tempt me no more, I tend to fall
-- Into volcanic eruptions.
Men of reason don’t fall in love,
Since life is not idealism;
Full moon emits love from above,
Zephyr soothes all, carry no ism
Heart needs heart for rhythm and rhyme,
Love is divine, love blooms to chime.

The Sonnets of
MOHAMMED FAKHRUDDIN
21

Words, words, and words, I write; but to what end?
I write of life and death. What do I know?
The world around me I may comprehend,
And know myself a little. Even so,
Both rich and poor who, like me, stride this earth,
From vice and virtue offer no respite.
All compromise till they are of small worth,
Unwilling to divide the wrong from right!
The poet in me never is at ease,
I fear the weight of what I do not know.
I fear my sight, and what my mind foresee,
Fills me with terror. Yes! But, even so,
I am obliged, by what I am, to be
Recorder of my own mortality!

The Sonnets of
MOHAMMED FAKHRUDDIN
22

Prime time of your prime age is passing by,
Longing for the one who’s not nearby
As the burning candle weeps in silence,
Hope against hope strengthens your confidence.
But to trust someone and share virgin love,
Needs self-confidence and do all for love
Submissive one must be when love is true
Merge soul within soul for the sublime love.
Secret of life is to live for the day,
And enjoy sweet moments of ecstasy
Trust not past or future, time changes all,
No one is true to self, Love tempts we fall;
Any can write; but who can write to move
Heart within heart? A valentine of love.

Prize Winning Sonnet  “A Poem for the Life”
Edizioni Universum, Via Giovanni Pedrotti 2, Trento 38100. ITALY

The Sonnets of
MOHAMMED FAKHRUDDIN
23

I‘m killed every day to reborn
Fifty-eight years have gone by,
Still face the wrath time and again
Know not when I’m destined to die.
Words, words, words, words are the arrows,
Pierces deep into my heart
To whom should I address my woes?
God seems busy painting snow-white.
Punishment ordained upon me,
To suffer in silence day and night;
Dragging cartload of life lonely,
Role of a host I have to play.
Hurdles in life tilt the balance,
Crusaders suffer in silence.

The Sonnets of
MOHAMMED FAKHRUDDIN
24

Life is a journey, ending on its own,
When, where and how of death remain unknown;
Man writes his tale in sickness and in health,
Some live forever. Some when dead leave wealth; --
But great men from the realms of gold inspire,
Generations on and on burn like fire
With sparks of knowledge for posterity,
World brotherhood, world peace, tranquility,
See evil breeding evil: hatred, war …
Born-sinners breed. Each one is uncared for.
Peoples divide. They separate in woe
For man’s success wreck others. Is this so?
What do we live for, and what contribute,
To give this world each perfect attribute

The Sonnets of
MOHAMMED FAKHRUDDIN
25

Verdurous landscapes man creates,
In tune with the nature’s splendour;
Artistic display recreates,
All look at it with great wonder.
It’s eye that makes like or dislike,
Winsome women choose ugly men,
Or, an artist sees where lines strike,
A marvel is a piece of Zen.
Mind unfolds creativity,
The sun has inborn intuition;
Great attain immortality,
Through hard work and meditation
Divine are the powers of mind,
Explore thyself the truth to find.

The Sonnets of
MOHAMMED FAKHRUDDIN
26
Life surges like the earth around the sun,
Whatever that to happen will happen
One’s actions give rise to one’s way of life,
Choice is ours: choose life smooth or full of strife.
Choose love to share with all like the moonlight,
Peace through love spreads all over like twilight
Life sans love and peace is like burning sun,
Turns earth into desert, make the air burn
What next in life one can never predict,
Accept all that happens as God’s verdict.
Soul loves another soul if found on par
Its not sin to love, but sin to wage war.
Man, after all, is a spirit in form,
Animal in him out grows to cause harm.

The Sonnets of
MOHAMMED FAKHRUDDIN
27
Your silence causes sea in turbulence,
Inner space faces a tilt in balance
Where’s time to explore oneself and beyond,
Patience creates power to understand.
Silence means a breach of trust, better check,
The wind blows up falling leaves like a speck
Keep the passions flow if feelings are true,
Heart to heart longing keeps love on the move.
Some uses silence as weapon to impress,
Create mystery or show their prowess
Ocean when in motion, tides rise and fall,
Rivers flow, wind blows, streets sleep at nightfall.
Like the Sun, man’s mind is hyper power,
Activate and update it every hour.

The Sonnets of
MOHAMMED FAKHRUDDIN
28

A symbol of fidelity,
Or a source of inspiration,
Goldmine of sensuality,
Or a treasure trove of passion;
Tell me now what else shall I call?
Face emotional explosions?
Tempt me no more, I tend to fall
-- Into volcanic eruptions.
Men of reason don’t fall in love,
Since life is not idealism;
Full moon emits love from above,
Zephyr soothes all, carry no ism
Heart needs heart to beat in rhythm,
Love is divine, love blooms to chime.

The Sonnets of
MOHAMMED FAKHRUDDIN
29

Beloved, no man possessed you till today,
But I did! No one gave me ecstasy,
As you did! Lead me to the mount Venus
Through love, and cut down distance between us.
The trust reposed in me in high esteem,
Deserves reciprocation to redeem
Immortalize love by self-submission,
Grow with time for self-realization.
Love is not lust, but bliss in which love dwells,
Life without bliss is heaven sans angels
Loving someone igniting soul with soul,
Generates power to be sensual!
Love blossoms on its own like a flower,
Time on its journey creates a lover.

The Sonnets of
MOHAMMED FAKHRUDDIN
30
In the vast open topless sea of air
I thought a scarlet boat appeared to sail,
So silently it moved; I know not where,
But shapeless it became, it seeming frail
My wonder grew.  No bounds could I descry?
To that pale golden silver of the sky
As wheeling birds flew back; and there was I,
Watching the boat, that vanished. By and by,
Torrents of light, in strips from east to west,
Flashing upon gray cloud, a darkest gray,
As if they plunged to earth, there finding rest
As if disdaining me, no words to say!
Nonetheless filled me with perfect rapture
I, prisoner of love, enthralled by nature!

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"The Sonnets & The Rubaiyat of Mohammed Fakhruddin" ISBN 81-89345-03-6

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