Bir qush bor

Men bir qushga o’xshar emishman,
Moslik topib har yil fasliga,
O’zimni ham taniyman qisman,
Endi qanot chiqqan aslida.
Faqat meni o’xshatmang hayhot,
Quruq nomga madhiya aytib:
Shunday qush bor, etsang-da ozod
Uchib kirar qafasga qaytib!
Meni o’sha qushga o’xshatmang!

There is a bird 

I was told, that I’m a bird,
All the seasons fit to me.
To know myself never I could,
To fly around wings to be.

However, do not sing for me,
So much of eulogy, don’t arrange.
There’s such a bird, you set it free,
But it flies back to the cage.

Please never say I’m like that bird!

Shade 

I always look for shadow
Everything is obscure though
The sky sleeps in my eyes,
The Moon is slice and slice.
I’ll find the right shadow
In the doomsday meadow –
When everything fades,
Be only seen God’s shade.

என் தோளில் அமர்ந்திருக்கிறது ஆதிப் பாம்பு
என்னால் கண்களைத் திறக்க முடியாது,
என்னால் உதடுகளையும் திறக்க முடியாது,
கடவுளுக்கு நன்றி சொல்ல.

இது தவிர மழை வலுக்கிறது.

நான் இன்னும் பருமனாக தடித்து வளர்கிறேன்

கடவுள் என் துயரமான இதயத்தில் தூங்குகிறார்.

The old serpent is sitting on my shoulder,
I cannot open my eyes,
I cannot open my lips
to thank God.

In addition to this it’s raining.

I am growing stout – what is more.

God is sleeping in my heavy heart.

AZAM ABIDOV, poet, translator, short short story writer, was born on November 8, 1974 in Namangan, city of flowers, Uzbekistan. He trained in philology. He has several books of poetry and translation to his credit. Literary scholars and readers have acclaimed his English translations from eminent voices of Uzbek poetry, Usmon Nosir and Chulpon, and contemporary Uzbek poetry. His Uzbek translations from English, American, Indian, French and other world classical and contemporary poetry have also been appreciated in Uzbekistan. One of the founders of the Creative Writing and Translation Club, Azam tries to become a bridge between world and Uzbek literature, widen the circle of young literary translators and encourage them to translate world literature into the Uzbek language and Uzbek literature into world languages. The most successful works by Azam Abidov are Tunes of Asia (English translation of contemporary Uzbek poetry), The Island of Anxiety (poems in Uzbek, English and Spanish), Dream of Lightsome Dawns, A Miracle Is On the Way and I Leave You in Complete Boredom (Uzbek translation of world poetry and fiction). He writes in both Uzbek and English. His poems and translations have appeared in numerous anthologies in Uzbekistan, India, France, Korea, Japan, Vietnam, and Colombia and in many web magazines. Azam’s awards include BBC World Uzbek Service’s award for free speech in Uzbekistan (2005), literary prizes of “Ulughbek” Foundation (1996, 2000); he was a winner of republican contest on Uzbek and Uzbek Literature (1995), winner of poetry contest “My first booklet” among young poets and writers (1990) and winner of the competition “Art Holiday” (1987-1988). Azam’s poems have been translated into Russian, Spanish, Assamese, Persian, Gujarati, Malayalam, Bulgarian, Turkish, Vietnamese, French and Hindi languages. He was a Creative Writing Fellow at the University of Iowa in the U.S. (2004) and attended poetry festivals, creative writing workshops and cultural events in India, U.S.A., Germany, Russia, Kazakhstan, Sweden, Austria, Netherlands, France, Vietnam, Turkey, Armenia and Colombia. In collaboration with Uzbek poet Bahrom Ruzimuhammad, Azam compiled two international poetry anthologies, Fish and Snake and The Language of the Birds, involving hundreds of contemporary poets from around the world. He is also a World Poetry Movement’s coordinator of poetry events in Uzbekistan, and one of the founders of Maysara literary and cultural club at the Yudakov Museum in Tashkent. Azam lives with his wife, journalist and poetess Nodira Abdullaeva and with his three sons in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.