Daily Times

O Lord of miracles!

I saw a curl of entranced smoke

A marvel of Kings

A wonder of wisdom

An engine with bizarre screech and whistles

From all its parts

Emanated smoke and sparks

On its ironed track

It came gliding like dark monsoon clouds

And leapt ahead like a bevy of soldiers

And breezed past like a bird flapping its wings

On its ironed trail

It moved swiftly ahead

Like a dark-bosomed woman

Like showering clouds

It came sailing from far afield

With both hands

For my faceI built a shield

As I touched it with my hand

To an abrupt halt came the train!

This is the English version of a poem written by Mast Taukali, a 19th century Balochi poet. He is said to have written the following after first encountering a locomotive engine somewhere in the subcontinent

Published in Daily Times, December 4th 2017.