The Real Hero

Who is the real hero of Milton’s Paradise Lost? Adam or the one whose blood, according to Iqbal, A famous Urdu poet, made the story colorful, A work of art, shining in the poems, large or small! When Gabriel asked his old friend, Could you plead guilty and regret your sin, I am hopeful He is benevolent and kind, He may bandage your bleeding chin! I feel the heat of the painful fire, You are burning in for violating the accord, The hero replied; go on reiterating My Lord, My Lord, My pleasure! I’m a thorn in the heart of God! What I did, I did in His love, Let me live there, that’s a lovely place, Wait for the Day of Judgment, you’ll see, My chin, my body, my face with a grace! You don’t know who’s been incarnated as a lover, Who is a beloved, a secret accord? All you know she is beauty n sacrifice, So go on reiterating My Lord, My Lord! (Based on an Urdu poem of Allama Iqbal)