यह दुनिया अनजाने रहस्यों और धुंधले समाधानों से भरी है।

The world is full of unknown mysteries and vague resolutions.

The world is full of unknown mysteries and vague resolutions.

क्या आपको लगता है कि किसी सार्थक चीज़ में असफल होना बेहतर है, या किसी अर्थहीन चीज़ में सफल होना?

Do you think it is better to fail at something worthwhile, or succeed at something meaningless.

Do you think it is better to fail at something worthwhile, or succeed at something meaningless.

वे 'पाइरिक विक्ट्री' यानी ऐसी जीत के बारे में पढ़ रहे थे जो रोमन काल से आया है। इसका मतलब था कि आपने कोई जंग या चीज़ जीत ली है, लेकिन उस जीत की कीमत में आपने इतना कुछ गंवा दिया कि असल में वह कोई जीत थी ही नहीं।

They’d been learning about the phrase ‘pyrrhic victory’, which came from Roman times and meant that you’d won something, like a battle, but in order to win, you had to lose so much that you really hadn’t won at all.

They’d been learning about the phrase ‘pyrrhic victory’, which came from Roman times and meant that you’d won something, like a battle, but in order to win, you had to lose so much that you really hadn’t won at all.

ज़िंदगी का खेल कम से कम चीजें गंवाकर नहीं जीता जाता। वे तो कुछ वैसी ही जीत होती हैं—उन्हें क्या कहते हैं भला?—पाइरिक विक्ट्री। असली जीत तो वह है जिसमें गंवाने के लिए सबसे ज्यादा कुछ हो, भले ही इसका मतलब यह हो कि आप सब कुछ गंवा सकते हैं। भले ही इसका मतलब यह हो कि देर-सवेर आप अपना सब कुछ खो देंगे।

You didn’t win the game of life by losing the least. That would be one of those – what were they called again? – Pyrrhic victories. Real winning was having the most to lose, even if it meant you might lose it all. Even though it meant you would lose it all, sooner or later.

You didn’t win the game of life by losing the least. That would be one of those – what were they called again? – Pyrrhic victories. Real winning was having the most to lose, even if it meant you might lose it all. Even though it meant you would lose it all, sooner or later.

आखिर उसने समय को कभी असीम संसाधन क्यों मान लिया था? अब तो रेत का वह घड़ीनुमा बर्तन टूट चुका था, और जिसे वह हमेशा साधारण रेत समझता था, वह असल में लाखों छोटे-छोटे हीरों का ढेर निकला।

Why had he assumed time was some sort of infinite resource? Now the hourglass had busted open, and what he’d always assumed was just a bunch of sand turned out to be a million tiny diamonds.

Why had he assumed time was some sort of infinite resource? Now the hourglass had busted open, and what he’d always assumed was just a bunch of sand turned out to be a million tiny diamonds.

घटते प्रतिफल के नियम का अपवाद सिर्फ प्रेम है।

Love is the exception to the law of diminishing returns.

Love is the exception to the law of diminishing returns.

लोग बूढ़े होना पसंद नहीं करते, लेकिन उन्हें बदलना अच्छा लगता है। एक ही स्थिति में बने रहना एक तरह की मौत है।

People don’t like getting older, but they do like changing. Staying the same is a kind of death.

People don’t like getting older, but they do like changing. Staying the same is a kind of death.

सुंदरता हमेशा अपने मालिक के लिए मुसीबत बन जाती है। इंसान की बाकी सारी खूबियां आसानी से छिप जाती हैं—बुद्धि, प्रतिभा, स्वार्थ, यहाँ तक कि पागलपन भी—लेकिन सुंदरता छिप नहीं सकती।

Beauty always made a target of its possessor. Every other human quality was hidden easily enough – intelligence, talent, selfishness, even madness – but beauty would not be concealed.

Beauty always made a target of its possessor. Every other human quality was hidden easily enough – intelligence, talent, selfishness, even madness – but beauty would not be concealed.

उसने आकाश की ओर देखा, पुराने प्यारे 'आर्डॉर' की उस अडिग चमक की तरफ, और महसूस किया कि वे दोनों—वह और वह क्षुद्रग्रह—एक-दूसरे की जिद्द के आगे डटे हुए थे। उस पल, उसका डर खत्म हो गया, यहाँ तक कि उसने उस उल्कापिंड को चुनौती दे डाली, क्योंकि वह जानती थी कि वह उल्कापिंड मौत के लिए उतना नहीं तड़प सकता जितनी वह जिंदगी के लिए तड़प रही थी।

She looked up toward the sky, toward the implacable sparkle of good old Ardor, and saw that the two of them – she and the asteroid – were caught up I a battle of wills. In that moment, she stopped being afraid of it, even dared it to come, because she knew thre was mo way it could crave death as much as she craved life.

She looked up toward the sky, toward the implacable sparkle of good old Ardor, and saw that the two of them – she and the asteroid – were caught up I a battle of wills. In that moment, she stopped being afraid of it, even dared it to come, because she knew thre was mo way it could crave death as much as she craved life.

मैं कोई नहीं हूँ। मैं तो तुम्हारी ज़िंदगी की इस बड़ी सी किताब का बस एक नन्हा सा पात्र हूँ। और तुम सही कहते हो। लोग मरते हैं। सब के सब। बिना किसी अपवाद के। तो फिर इसका मतलब ही क्या रह जाता है? मैं किसी को पागल इसलिए कहती हूँ क्योंकि हर कोई पागल नहीं होता। मैं किसी को प्रतिभाशाली इसलिए कहती हूँ क्योंकि हर कोई प्रतिभाशाली नहीं होता। लेकिन मरते सब हैं। गिलहरियाँ मरती हैं। पेड़ मरते हैं। त्वचा की कोशिकाएं मरती हैं और आपके अंदरूनी अंग मरते हैं और कल जो इंसान आप थे, वह भी मर चुका है। तो मरने का मतलब क्या हुआ? कुछ खास नहीं।

I’m nobody. I’m just a tiny little character in the big book of your life. And you’re right. People do die. All of them. Bar none. So what does it even mean? I call someone crazy because not everybody is crazy. I call someone brilliant because not everyone is brilliant. But everybody dies. Squirrels die. Tress die. Skin cells die and your inner organs die and the person you were yesterday’s dead too. So what does it mean to die? Not much.

I’m nobody. I’m just a tiny little character in the big book of your life. And you’re right. People do die. All of them. Bar none. So what does it even mean? I call someone crazy because not everybody is crazy. I call someone brilliant because not everyone is brilliant. But everybody dies. Squirrels die. Tress die. Skin cells die and your inner organs die and the person you were yesterday’s dead too. So what does it mean to die? Not much.

वह इसलिए दुखी थी क्योंकि वह बार-बार यह उम्मीद कर रही थी कि हालात बदलेंगे। अगर वह इस उम्मीद को ही खत्म कर देती, तो अपना दुख भी मिटा देती।

She was miserable because she kept hoping things would change. If she could eradicate the hope, she could eradicate the sadness.

She was miserable because she kept hoping things would change. If she could eradicate the hope, she could eradicate the sadness.

वह फोटोग्राफी को कलाओं में सबसे महान मानती थी क्योंकि यह एक ही साथ जंक फूड भी थी और शाही पकवान भी, क्योंकि आप कुछ ही घंटों में दर्जनों तस्वीरें खींच सकते थे, और फिर उनमें से चंद तस्वीरों को परफेक्ट बनाने में दर्जनों घंटे बिता सकते थे।

She believed photography to be the greatest of all art forms because it was simultaneously junk food and gourmet cuisine, because you could snap dozens of pictures in a couple of hours, then spend dozens of hours perfecting just a couple of them.

She believed photography to be the greatest of all art forms because it was simultaneously junk food and gourmet cuisine, because you could snap dozens of pictures in a couple of hours, then spend dozens of hours perfecting just a couple of them.

बिना किस्मत के भी आप कैसे भाग्यशाली हो सकते हैं, यह उसका एक उदाहरण था। आप कैसे एक विजेता होने के बावजूद हार सकते हैं, यह उसका तरीका था।

That was how you could be lucky without being lucky. That was how you could be a winner and still lose.

That was how you could be lucky without being lucky. That was how you could be a winner and still lose.

यह इतिहास का बस एक और ऐसा अधूरा पन्ना था जो हमेशा अमर रहने की ख्वाहिश तो रखता था, लेकिन अंत में गुमनामी के अंधेरे में ही खो जाना जिसकी किस्मत थी।

Just another little piece of utterly irrelevant history, aspiring to permanence, doomed to oblivion.

Just another little piece of utterly irrelevant history, aspiring to permanence, doomed to oblivion.

दुनिया के अंत ने यह साबित कर दिया कि ये तमाम यादगारी तख्तियां कितनी बेमानी हैं।

The end of the world revealed the futility of all commemorative plaques.

The end of the world revealed the futility of all commemorative plaques.

अलाणा—अभी भी एक समुद्री डाकू के भेष में—'द रिंग' फिल्म के उस डरावنے जापानी भूत की तरह काउंटर पर कूदकर चढ़ जाती है, और एक छोटे से बच्चे के हाथ से पॉपकॉर्न गिरा देती है, जो रोने लगता है। चोटी बांधी हुई उस छोटी बच्ची को समझ आ रहा है कि कुछ बहुत अजीब हो रहा है, पर उसे अभी यह अंदाज़ा नहीं है कि इसका उससे कोई लेना-देना है। तब तक अलाणा टायलर की काली बटन वाली शर्ट पकड़कर उसे जोर से आइस-मशीन पर धकेल देती है, जिससे काउंटर पर चेरी के रंग जैसी लाल आइस-मशीन की सिरप बहने लगती है।

Alana – still dressed as a pirate- chambers over the counter like that evil Japanese ghost in the Ring, knocking over the child-size popcorn of some little kid, who starts to cry. The pink-pigtailed girl knows something crazy is going on, but she doesn’t yet understand it has anything to do with her. Not until Alana has grabbed Tyler by his black button-down shirt and pushed him hard into the Icee machine, which begins to stream cherry-red Icee onto the counter.

Alana – still dressed as a pirate- chambers over the counter like that evil Japanese ghost in the Ring, knocking over the child-size popcorn of some little kid, who starts to cry. The pink-pigtailed girl knows something crazy is going on, but she doesn’t yet understand it has anything to do with her. Not until Alana has grabbed Tyler by his black button-down shirt and pushed him hard into the Icee machine, which begins to stream cherry-red Icee onto the counter.

यह बात हैरान करने वाली थी कि लोग कैसे अपनी जिंदगी गाए चले जाते हैं, चाहे वे पैंक्रियाटिक कैंसर से मर रहे हों, ड्रग्स की लत से जूझ रहे हों या खुद कयामत सामने खड़ी हो।

It was incredible, the way that people kept on going, whether they were dying of pancreatic cancer or drug addiction or the apocalypse itself.

It was incredible, the way that people kept on going, whether they were dying of pancreatic cancer or drug addiction or the apocalypse itself.

नॉन-फिक्शन की तुलना में फिक्शन हकीकत को ज्यादा बेहतर ढंग से बयान करता था।

Fiction described reality better than non-fiction.

Fiction described reality better than non-fiction.

हो सकता है यह बात सुनकर आपको झटका लगे, लेकिन हम में से कुछ लोग वाकई चीजों की परवाह करते हैं।

This may come as a shock for you, but some of us actually care about stuff.

This may come as a shock for you, but some of us actually care about stuff.

सुंदर लड़कियों को कभी किसी से बात करने के लिए मशक्कत नहीं करनी पड़ती, बशर्ते उन्हें कोई बहुत काम की बात न कहनी पड़े।

Pretty girls never struggled to find someone to talk to, as long as they didn’t need to say anything important.

Pretty girls never struggled to find someone to talk to, as long as they didn’t need to say anything important.

तो फिर मैं तुमसे यही कहूँगा कि इससे कोई फर्क नहीं पड़ता कि गलती किसकी है। दोष देना तो बस स्कोर कार्ड बनाए रखने का एक तरीका है, और बड़े लोग ऐसे बचकाने खेल नहीं खेलते।

Then I’ll just tell you that it doesn’t matter whose fault it is. Blame is just a way to keep score, and adults don’t play games like that.

Then I’ll just tell you that it doesn’t matter whose fault it is. Blame is just a way to keep score, and adults don’t play games like that.

वह कुछ इस किस्म का इंसान था जिसके पास सोचने के लिए एक अलग ही किस्म का फेशियल एक्सप्रेसन हुआ करता था।

He was the kind of guy who had a unique facial expression dedicated to thinking.

He was the kind of guy who had a unique facial expression dedicated to thinking.

लोग बूढ़े होना पसंद नहीं करते, लेकिन उन्हें बदलना अच्छा लगता है।

People don’t like getting older, but they do like changing.

People don’t like getting older, but they do like changing.

अनिता को लगा कि उसे आखिरकार समझ आ गया है कि प्यार को उस अजीब से धड़कते हुए अंग का प्रतीक क्यों माना जाता है, जो हमेशा बंद हो जाने, या टूट जाने, या हमला कर देने की धमकी देता रहता है। क्योंकि दिल शरीर का इंजन है, और प्यार शरीर की एक क्रिया है। आपका दिमाग आपको बता सकता है कि किससे नफरत करनी है, किसका सम्मान करना है या किससे ईर्ष्या करनी है, लेकिन सिर्फ आपका शरीर—आपकी नाक, आपका मुंह और आपकी त्वचा का यह विशाल, कोरा कैनवास—ही आपको बता सकता है कि किससे प्यार करना है।

Anita felt like she finally understood why love was symbolized by the grotesque pumping organ, always threatening to clog, or break, or attack. Because the heart was the body’s engine, and love was an act of the body. Your mind could tell you who to hate or respect or envy, but only your body – your nostrils and your mouth and the wide, blank canvas of your skin – could tell you who to love.

Anita felt like she finally understood why love was symbolized by the grotesque pumping organ, always threatening to clog, or break, or attack. Because the heart was the body’s engine, and love was an act of the body. Your mind could tell you who to hate or respect or envy, but only your body – your nostrils and your mouth and the wide, blank canvas of your skin – could tell you who to love.

कैरास: ऐसे लोगों का समूह जो ब्रह्मांडीय रूप से एक-दूसरे से गहराई से जुड़े होते हैं, भले ही ऊपरी तौर पर उनके बीच कोई संबंध नजर न आता हो।

Karass: A group of people linked in a cosmically significant manner, even when superficial linkages are not evident.

Karass: A group of people linked in a cosmically significant manner, even when superficial linkages are not evident.

उसने पीछे मुड़कर नहीं देखा, लेकिन आधे सेकंड के लिए उसने अपनी चाल जरूर धीमी कर दी, और एक वैसी लड़की से आप इससे ज्यादा की उम्मीद भी क्या कर सकते थे।

She didn’t look back, but she did break her stride for half a second, which was really the most you could hope for with a girl like that.

She didn’t look back, but she did break her stride for half a second, which was really the most you could hope for with a girl like that.

हम अपनी पूरी जिंदगी किसी चट्टान के ऐसे ही खतरनाक किनारे पर खड़े रहकर बिता देते हैं, लेकिन हम ऐसा नाटक करते हैं जैसे हमने कुछ देखा ही न हो।

We spend all our lives standing up on a ledge like this, but we pretend not to notice.

We spend all our lives standing up on a ledge like this, but we pretend not to notice.

ज़िंदगी पर कोई मीठा मुलम्मा नहीं चढ़ाया जाता। तो फिर कॉफी के साथ ऐसा क्यों किया जाए?

Life isn’t sugarcoated. Why should coffee be?

Life isn’t sugarcoated. Why should coffee be?

आखिरकार, रुखेपन और कूल दिखने के बीच का फर्क बस मात्रा का ही तो खेल था।

The difference between coldness and coolness was, after all, simply a matter of degree.

The difference between coldness and coolness was, after all, simply a matter of degree.

उन्हें ऐसा लगा मानो उस कड़وی سچائی کے گلے میں پھنسنے سے ان کا دم گھٹ جائے گا جسے وہ پوری زندگی نظر انداز کرنے کی کوشش کر رہے تھے—کہ وہ چاہے جتنی بھی چاہت رکھیں یا کتनी ہی کوشش کر لیں، وہ کبھی کسی کی محبت کے لائق نہیں ہو पाएंगे।

He thought he would choke to death on it, on the harsh truth he’d been trying to ignore his entire life: that no matter how bad he wanted it or how he hard he tried to get it, he would never be worthy of anyone’s love.

He thought he would choke to death on it, on the harsh truth he’d been trying to ignore his entire life: that no matter how bad he wanted it or how he hard he tried to get it, he would never be worthy of anyone’s love.

اور اس ہوٹل کے کمرے کے اندھیرے میں، شاید دنیا ختم ہونے سے بم मुश्किल चौबीس घंटे پہلے، ان تینوں نے کسی طرح ساتھ مل کر ہنسنا شروع کر دیا۔ یہ بات سامنے آئی کہ دہشت کا کوئی بھی عالم انسان کی ایک دوسرے سے جڑنے کی بنیادی چاہت کو نہیں روک سکتا۔ یا شاید، انिता ने سوچا، کہ اس چاہت کی جڑ میں خود دہشت ہی بسی ہوتی ہے۔ آخرکار، ہر زندگی کا انجام کسی نہ کسی طوفانِ بلاخیز پر ہی ہوتا ہے۔

And there in the darkness of the hotel room, scarcely more than twenty-four hours before the maybe end of the world, the three of them managed to laugh together. It turned out that no amount of terror could stop the great human need to connect. Or maybe, Anita thought, terror was actually at the heart of that need. After all, every life ended in an apocalypse, in one way or another.

And there in the darkness of the hotel room, scarcely more than twenty-four hours before the maybe end of the world, the three of them managed to laugh together. It turned out that no amount of terror could stop the great human need to connect. Or maybe, Anita thought, terror was actually at the heart of that need. After all, every life ended in an apocalypse, in one way or another.

نوجوان لوگ چیزوں کو کتنی گہرائی سے محسوس کرتے ہیں، ہے ना?‘ اس نے دھیمی آواز میں، جیسے خود سے ہی کہا، ’ہر چیز پہلی بار ہو رہی ہوتی ہے۔

Young people feel things so deeply, don’t they?′ she said quietly, almost to herself. ‘Everything’s happening for the first time.

Young people feel things so deeply, don’t they?′ she said quietly, almost to herself. ‘Everything’s happening for the first time.

کسی کو بہت زیادہ سمجھنے کی یہی خرابی ہوتی ہے—آپ چاہ کر بھی اسے معاف کیے بغیر نہیں رہ سکتے، چاہے وہ کچھ بھی کرے۔

That was the problem with understanding someone too well – you couldn’t help but forgive them, no matter what they did.

That was the problem with understanding someone too well – you couldn’t help but forgive them, no matter what they did.

یہ اکیسویں صدی ہے۔ سمندر کا پانی بڑھ رہا ہے۔ پاگل تاناشاہوں کے پاس جوہری ہتھیار ہیں۔ کارپوریٹ کلچر اور میڈیا کے معیار کی گراوٹ نے جمہوریت کی بنیادوں کو ہی ہिला کر رکھ دیا ہے۔ جو انسان ڈرا ہوا نہیں ہے، وہ احمق ہے۔ بس۔

This is the twenty-first century. The oceans are rising. Mad dictators have access to nuclear weapons. Corporatism and the dumbing down of the media have destroyed the very foundations of democracy. Anyone who isn’t afraid is a moron.” There.

This is the twenty-first century. The oceans are rising. Mad dictators have access to nuclear weapons. Corporatism and the dumbing down of the media have destroyed the very foundations of democracy. Anyone who isn’t afraid is a moron.” There.

جن کے پاس امید بہت ہو اور کھونے کو کچھ نہ ہو، وہ لوگ ہمیشہ خطرناک ہوتے ہیں۔

Those who have much to hope and nothing to lose will always be dangerous.

Those who have much to hope and nothing to lose will always be dangerous.

مشہور لوگ ایک دن غیر مقبول ہو جائیں گے۔ اور یہ عجیب و غریب لوگ ہی اس دنیا کے وارث بنیں گے۔

The popular shall become unpopular. The freak shall inherit the Earth.

The popular shall become unpopular. The freak shall inherit the Earth.

بچپن میں پیٹر کو لگتا تھا کہ ایک خاص عمر پر پہنچنے کے بعد، کوئی آپ کو وہ تمام علم خود بخود دے دیتا ہے جو ایک بالغ بننے کے لیے ضروری ہوتا ہے۔ لیکن بعد میں پتہ چلا کہ ایسا کچھ نہیں ہوتا۔

As a little kid, Peter had figured that once you reached a certain age, somebody just handed you all the knowledge you’d need in order to be an adult. But it turned out that wasn’t how it worked.

As a little kid, Peter had figured that once you reached a certain age, somebody just handed you all the knowledge you’d need in order to be an adult. But it turned out that wasn’t how it worked.

واपस ساحل پر، ہر کوئی اپنے لباس کو پھاڑ پھاڑ کر اتار رہا تھا۔ یہ کسی पागल सपने जैसा था, उन तमाम लोगों को अपने छद्म भेष से बाहर आते देखना, नकली मांस-पेशियों और प्लास्टिक के कवच को, परियों और فرشتوں کے پروں کو، اور شیطان کے سینگوں کو اتار کر پھینکتے دیکھنا، وہ سب ایک جگہ اس طرح ڈھیر تھا جیسے تخیل کی کوئی اجتماعی قبر ہو۔

Back on the beach, everyone was tearing off their costumes piece by piece. It was like some kind of crazy dream, the sight of all those people emerging from their disguises, shedding the fake muscles and plastic armor, the fairy wings and angel wings, and devils horns, all of it piled up like a mass grave for make-believe.

Back on the beach, everyone was tearing off their costumes piece by piece. It was like some kind of crazy dream, the sight of all those people emerging from their disguises, shedding the fake muscles and plastic armor, the fairy wings and angel wings, and devils horns, all of it piled up like a mass grave for make-believe.

وہ ان لوگوں میں سے تھا جو نشے میں آتے ہی فلسفیانہ اور الجھی ہوئی باتیں کرنے لگتے تھے، اور پیزا والے کے ساتھ اس کی بات چیت تو یادگار تھی: “کیا ہمیں پیپرونی چاہیے؟ ارے یار، مجھے خود نہیں معلوم۔ ایک منٹ روکو۔ دوستو، کیا ہمیں پیپرونی چاہیے؟ نہیں، ہمیں پیپرونی نہیں چاہیے، حالانکہ مجھے اس کی کوئی وجہ نہیں معلوم، کیونکہ پیپرونی بہت مزیدار ہوتی ہے۔ دراصل، میں ایک بار پھر پوچھ رہا ہوں۔ دوستو، کیا ہمیں واقعی پیپرونی نہیں چاہیے؟ نہیں؟ یار، یہ تو پاگل پن ہے۔

He was one of those guys who got mystical and hazy when he was high, and his conversation with the pizza place was one for the ages: “Do we want pepperoni? Oh, man, I don’t even know. Hold on. Guys, do we want pepperoni? No, we don’t pepperoni, even though I have no idea why, because pepperoni is delicious. Actually, I’m going to ask one more time. Guys, do we really not want pepperoni? No? Man, that’s CRAZY.

He was one of those guys who got mystical and hazy when he was high, and his conversation with the pizza place was one for the ages: “Do we want pepperoni? Oh, man, I don’t even know. Hold on. Guys, do we want pepperoni? No, we don’t pepperoni, even though I have no idea why, because pepperoni is delicious. Actually, I’m going to ask one more time. Guys, do we really not want pepperoni? No? Man, that’s CRAZY.

جب تبدیلی کا جادو ختم ہو جاتا ہے، تو پھر جینے کے لیے واقعی کچھ نہیں بچتا۔

When change loses its magic, then there really isn’t anything left to live for.

When change loses its magic, then there really isn’t anything left to live for.

اور اس کا مطلب یہ ہے کہ آپ اپنی زندگی کے فیصلے خود کرتے ہیں، بجائے اس کے کہ زندگی آپ کے لیے فیصلے کرے۔

And that means you get to choose what you want to do with your life, instead of life choosing for you.

And that means you get to choose what you want to do with your life, instead of life choosing for you.

وہ اسے بتانا چاہتی تھی کہ ہائی اسکول کسی ایسے ڈرامے کی طرح ہے جس میں سب کو پہلے ہی بغیر سوچے سمجھے کردار دے دیے جاتے ہیں، اور اسے بہت ہی گھٹیا کردار مل گیا تھا۔ اگر وہ بس کالج جانے تک خود کو سنبھال لیتا، تو اسے ایک نئے ڈرامے میں اپنا ہنر آزمانے کا موقع ملتا، ایک ایسا ڈرامہ جس میں اس جیسے لوگوں کے لیے اچھے خاصے کردار ہوتےاتے۔

She wanted to tell him that high school was a little like a play in which everybody got cast prematurely, and he’d ended up with a pretty crappy role. If he could just survive until college, he’d get to try out for a new play, one with plenty of good parts for people like him.

She wanted to tell him that high school was a little like a play in which everybody got cast prematurely, and he’d ended up with a pretty crappy role. If he could just survive until college, he’d get to try out for a new play, one with plenty of good parts for people like him.

کہتے ہیں کہ کوئی بھی انسان اکیلا جزیرہ نہیں ہوتا، اور انিতা کو لگتا تھا کہ شاید یہ بات سچ ہو۔ لیکن عورتیں جزیرہ ہوتی ہیں؛ انہیں ہونا ہی پڑتا ہے۔ اور اگر کوئی زبردستی کشتی کھေး کر وہاں اتر بھی جائے، تو اسے جلد ہی پتہ چل جائے گا کہ اس جزیرے کے بیچوں بیچ ایک قلعہ ہے، جس کے گرد گہری خندق ہے، ایک ہلتا ہوا لکڑی کا پل ہے، برجوں پر تیر انداز چوکنا بیٹھے ہیں، اور دروازے کے اوپر ابلتے ہوئے تیل کی بڑی کڑاہی تیار ہے تاکہ جو بھی اس حد کو پار کرنے کی جرات کرے، اسے زندہ جلا دیا جائے۔

They said no man was an island, and Anita figured that was probably true. But women were; they had to be. And even if someone bothered to sail over and disembark, he’d soon discover that there was always a castle at the center of the island, surrounded by a deep moat, with a rickety drawbridge and archers manning the battlements and a big pot of oil posed above the gate, ready to boil alive anyone who dared to cross the threshold.

They said no man was an island, and Anita figured that was probably true. But women were; they had to be. And even if someone bothered to sail over and disembark, he’d soon discover that there was always a castle at the center of the island, surrounded by a deep moat, with a rickety drawbridge and archers manning the battlements and a big pot of oil posed above the gate, ready to boil alive anyone who dared to cross the threshold.

بالکل۔ ڈاٹس والے پینٹنگز۔ میں ہمیشہ سے یہی سوچتا رہا ہوں کہ بڑا ہونا کچھ ویسا ہی ہے جیسے ان پینٹنگز کو دیکھنا۔ آپ پیدا ہوتے ہیں، اور وہ وقت ایسا ہوتا ہے جب آپ بالکل کینوس کے سامنے کھڑے ہوتے ہیں۔ کچھ سمجھ نہیں آتا۔ بس بہت زیادہ روشنی اور رنگ دکھائی دیتے ہیں۔ لیکن جیسے جیسے آپ کی عمر بڑھتی ہے، آپ پیچھے ہٹنے لگتے ہیں، اور تب تصویر صاف ہونے لگتی ہے۔ رنگوں کے وہ سارے چھوٹے چھوٹے نقطے پھولوں، انسانوں یا کتوں کی شکل اختیار کر لیتے ہیں۔ آپ کا نظریہ بدل جاتا ہے۔

Exactly. The dots guy. I’ve always thought getting older was a bit like looking at those paintings. You’re born, and that’s when you’re standing right up next to the canvas. Nothing makes any sense. There’s just a lot of light and color. But as you get older, you begin to back away, and that’s when the image starts to cohere. All those little spots of color turn into flowers, or people, or dogs. You gain perspective.

Exactly. The dots guy. I’ve always thought getting older was a bit like looking at those paintings. You’re born, and that’s when you’re standing right up next to the canvas. Nothing makes any sense. There’s just a lot of light and color. But as you get older, you begin to back away, and that’s when the image starts to cohere. All those little spots of color turn into flowers, or people, or dogs. You gain perspective.

چند مہینوں کی بجائے، ڈاکٹروں نے اسے ایک سال دیا۔ یوں کہہ لیں کہ آپ خوش قسمت تو تھے مگر قسمت آپ کے ساتھ نہیں تھی۔ اس طرح آپ جیت کر بھی ہار جاتے۔

Instead of a few months, the doctors gave him a year. That was how you could be lucky without being lucky. That was how you could be a winner and still lose.

Instead of a few months, the doctors gave him a year. That was how you could be lucky without being lucky. That was how you could be a winner and still lose.

انتا کو یہ احساس ہوا کہ نفرت، ناپسندیدگی اور یہاں تک کہ لاتعلقی بھی عیش و آرام کی چیزیں ہیں، جو اس غلط فہمی سے جنم لیتی ہیں کہ دنیا کی ہر چیز ہمیشہ کے لیے رہ سکتی ہے۔

It occurred to Anita that hatred and dislike and even indifference were all luxuries, born of the mistaken belief that anything could last forever.

It occurred to Anita that hatred and dislike and even indifference were all luxuries, born of the mistaken belief that anything could last forever.

اس نے ہر طرح کی جھجک اور غصے کے لیے خود کو تیار کیا تھا، لیکن اس گلے لگنے کے لیے نہیں جو شاید کسی لڑکے کی طرف سے اسے ملنے والا سب سے طویل آغوش تھا—ایک ایسا آغوش جس سے صاف ظاہر ہو رہا تھا کہ سامنے والے کو کتنی شدت سے کسی کے سہارے کی ضرورت تھی، یا شاید وہ یہ سمجھتا تھا کہ آپ کو کسی کے گلے لگنے کی ضرورت ہے۔

She’d prepared herself for any amount of awkwardness or anger, but no for a hug that was probably the longest she’d ever received from a boy, one of those hugs that made it clear how much the person hugging you was in need of a hug, or believed YOU to be in need of a hug.

She’d prepared herself for any amount of awkwardness or anger, but no for a hug that was probably the longest she’d ever received from a boy, one of those hugs that made it clear how much the person hugging you was in need of a hug, or believed YOU to be in need of a hug.

جب آپ کے سامنے ہر چیز جل کر راکھ ہو رہی ہو، تو آپ یہ سوچ سکتے ہیں کہ آپ کے اندر کا کچھ حصہ بھی اس کے ساتھ جل رہا ہے—آپ کی تمام ناامیدیاں، وہ سب کام جو آپ نے کیے اور جن پر آپ کو پچھتاوا ہے، یہاں تک کہ آپ کی تمام بری یادیں بھی۔

When everything was burning up right in front of you, you could imagine parts of yourself burning along with it-all your disappointments, all the things you’d done that you wish you hadn’t, even all the bad memories.

When everything was burning up right in front of you, you could imagine parts of yourself burning along with it-all your disappointments, all the things you’d done that you wish you hadn’t, even all the bad memories.

آپ ان خوش قسمت لوگوں میں سے ہیں جنہیں نہ صرف ہنر ملا ہے بلکہ خود شناسی کی دولت بھی ملی ہے۔ اور اس کا مطلب یہ ہے کہ آپ اپنی زندگی کے فیصلے خود کرتے ہیں، بجائے اس کے کہ زندگی آپ کے لیے فیصلے کرے۔ لیکن اس طاقت کا ہونا، یعنی انتخاب کی طاقت، دو دھاری تلوار کی طرح ہے۔ کیونکہ آپ غلط انتخاب بھی کر سکتے ہیں۔

You’re one of those people who’ve been blessed not only with talent, but with self-awareness. And that means you get to choose what you want to do with your life, instead of life choosing for you. But having that power, the power to choose, can be a double edged sword. Because you can choose wrong.

You’re one of those people who’ve been blessed not only with talent, but with self-awareness. And that means you get to choose what you want to do with your life, instead of life choosing for you. But having that power, the power to choose, can be a double edged sword. Because you can choose wrong.

کیا محبت واقعی اتنی جلدی ختم ہو سکتی ہے؟ یا اس کا مطلب یہ تھا کہ وہ کبھی وجود میں ہی نہیں آئی تھی؟

Could love really disappear so quickly? Or did that mean it had never been there in the first place?

Could love really disappear so quickly? Or did that mean it had never been there in the first place?