The Pandemic

The Pandemic 

Looking for a knock at the door

This Eid too passed under siege.

Paralysed, the City of Paradise

Quietly witnessed the withering

Of blossoming flowers.

Asleep, the City of Temples

Alone mourned the death

Of sparkling faces.

Ambushed in the mesh of fear

No requiem held for the dead.

Harassed in darkness

My pained heart pounds

At the tormenting images

Flashing from the television screen.

People gasping for breath

Young bodies on ventilators

On the burning pyres

Wafting into dense smoke.

There is no space

At the shamshaans

At the qabristans

And many floating on the banks of a river.

My soul, devastated, asks,

Will the night of sorrows ever end?

Will the sun of life rise again?

Will the breeze of hope blow again?

Will the scent of flowers spread again?

Will the spring of colours splash again?

Will the bird of love sing again?

The songs of love, of joy, of life.........

Theme:

The theme of the poem is depression, solitude, the inevitability of death, losing a loved one, due to pandemic covid - 19.

About the Poem; 

The poem is about the situation during Covid - 19 pandemic. As the life comes to halt, the poet is depressed heavily. Due to lockdown the auspicious days of Eid too passes without any celebration. The much awaited spring season in Kashmir popularly known as paradise on Earth too passes without tourists. Same is the case with the city of temples where we are not able to hear the rings ringing in temples because there is no devotees. The fear of Pandemic is so great that even requiem is not being held. The depressing images that can be seen on Television are further enlarging shadow of fear. People are dying for Oxygen. Qabristans and Shamshaans are full and many dead bodies can be seen floating on rivers. Seeing these devastating scenes, my soul is skeptical that will this devastating Covid - 19 end? Will life come to normalcy ever?

Glossary:

Word	Meaning	Urdu meaning
Paralyse	Motionless	فالج، ایک ہی جگہ سمٹ کر رہ جانا
City of Paradise	Kashmir	کشمیر کو جنت بے نزیر کہا جاتا ہے
City of Temples	Jammu	جموں کو مندروں کا شہر کہا جاتا ہے
Ambush	Trap	جال
Requiem	An act of remembrance in the honour of dead	فاتہ خوانی
Gasp	Be out of breath	ہانپنا
Ventilator	A device for maintaining artificial respiration	مصنوعی تنفس کو برقرار رکھنے کے لیے ایک آلہ
Pyre	Woods used for burning a corpse as a part of furnel	لاش کو جلانے کے لیے استعمال ہونے والی لکڑی جنازے کا ایک حصہ ہے۔
Waft	To pass through air	ہوا سے گزرنا
Shamshan	A place where dead bodies are cremated	وہ جگہ جہاں لاشوں کو جلایا جاتا ہے۔
Qabristan	A place where dead bodies are burried	وہ جگہ جہاں میتیں دفن کی جاتی ہیں۔
Devastate	Ruin, destroy	برباد کرنا

Working with The Text

Q. 1. What does the poem refer to?

Answer:- The poem refers to the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)  a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic.

Q. 2. Comment on the mood of the poem?

Answer:- The mood of the poem is melancholy or elegy. The poet is very sad because of the devastation caused by the Pandemic. Life has come to standstill. Everyone is reduced to four walls.

Q. 3. Pick out the words which are suggestive of pathos in the poem?

Answer:- There are many word which evoke pathos in the poem. Following are some of them:

Siege, Paralysed, Withering, Mourn, Death, Ambushed, Mesh of fear, Requiem, Burning Pyres, Shamshaans, Qabristans etc.

Q. 4. What do you think the questions at the end of the poem suggest?

Answer:- The poet is very sad and skeptical about the future. He is eagerly waiting for the time when this dreadful disease will end and the life will again come to normalcy.

Q. 5. Do you think that the poem captures a particular point of time during the pandemic?

Answer:- Yes, the poet describes the scenes in the poem that clearly point to the period of time when the pandemic was at its peak and had already caused many deaths.

Q. 6. Do you think that the pandemic affected your life? Explain.

Answer:- Yes, the pandemic affected each and every one. We were greatly affected too. Infact students suffered great losses than anyone else. Schools were closed and the classes were being delivered in online mood. We were not able to go to play or visit market or our relatives. The life was reduced to four walls.