A life that slipped away without a hint

This poem is a translation of a poem I wrote long back. The original title was बीता हुआ जीवन and it is the voice of a person who is about to die and is evaluating his life in his final moments.

All the moments of life slipped right away, not a single one survived.
I have surely spent my entire life but it isn’t a life well-lived.

I remember that fateful day when my hands held my first wage,
The day for which my childhood self always planned the stage.
I always thought I will use it to feed someone needy,
And yet I found myself slipping away that whole sum into my pocket.

I have thus gathered great fortunes but my soul remains deprived.
I have surely spent my entire life but it isn’t a life well-lived.

I dreamt of pilgrimage visits to sooth my soul some day,
I dreamt of buying a saree for my mother and make her smile some day.
I dreamt of joys of kite flying with my younger brother some day,
And I surely wanted to buy a dupatta for my little sister some day.

I let my work rule my life and let my family grow distant,
and fooled myself with beliefs of a future when I can afford some leisure.
I have everything today and yet I remain empty-handed in terms of memories,
All my fortunes have failed to buy me a meagre ounce of love.

I won a lot of fame for sure but I was loveless when death arrived,
I have surely spent my entire life but it isn’t a life well-lived.