Editor’s Note: It is worth mentioning that these poems of Nilufar Shakarova are being published for the first time as well. Since DoubleSpeak is an English magazine, hence it is fitting that they are published with their English translations.
Kel, kulib boqamiz taqdirimizga,
Kel, kulib boqamiz taqdirimizga,
Kulguning totini totamiz har zum.
U tinmay zarbalar yo’llaydi bizga,
Har zarbda qilamiz bitta tabassum.
Sen menga og’riqlar qilasan hadya,
Men esa rahmatlar aytaveraman.
“Bu ham bir taqdirning zarbasi”, — deya,
Tabassumlar tuhfa etaveraman.
Men sabab ortadi ba’zan dardlaring,
Kunlaring yo’qotar o’z mazmunini.
Qismat hikmatiga yo’ygancha barin,
Sen ham ayamaysan tabassumingni.
Tabassum quroli borki bizlarda,
Bir kuni taqdirni qilamiz taslim.
Qay yov zarba berar, aytgin, yuzlarda
Balqib tursa, axir, mayin tabassum!
Come, Let Us Look at Our Destiny with a Smile
Come, let us look at our destiny with a smile,
And taste the sweetness of laughter every moment.
It sends blow after blow at us all the while,
At each blow, a single smile is our response.
You present me with all of your pain,
I offer thanks without hesitation.
Saying, “This, too, is fate’s strike again,” —
I keep gifting smiles in appreciation.
Because of me, sometimes your worries mount,
And your days may lose all their true meaning.
Interpreting all as fate’s wise account,
Your own bright smile you are never restraining.
As long as the weapon of smiles is our might,
One day, destiny will surely surrender.
Tell me, which foe can strike, if our faces bright
With a gentle smile shine out their splendour!
