On The Death of A Savant
( A Tribute to Late Muzaffar Ali Syed )
| Another luminous star |
| On the intellectual horizon; |
| A monarch of literary empire |
| Says adieu forever |
| Leaving behind many a mourner |
| Rich in intellect, a literary giant |
| Muzaffar Ali Syed lies buried |
| In Lahore, the City of Iqbal |
| A brilliant Ravian |
| A passionate student of literature |
| Exceptionally versed |
| In Urdu, English and Persian |
| He stood out in his literary clan |
| As a scholar and critic |
| With rare courage and candour |
| A voracious reader, |
| A walking almanac, encyclopaedia |
| A great lexicon |
| Many a theme, diverse in nature |
| During his tenure in the PAF |
| As an officer, par excellence |
| He was revered alike |
| Both by the young and old; |
| A unique teacher |
| He had no pretensions |
| About his eminent erudition; |
| On all and sundry; |
| Anyone could share |
| His knowledge, gossip and tea. |
| The PAF mourns his loss |
| A colossal void in the literary world |
| And pays glorious homage |
| To this towering genius; |
| He will remain forever |
| In the hearts of his students |
| For all his gifts of head and soul |
| A man on integrity and honour |
| He could call a spade a spade; |
| A verse to greet and prominence |
| He followed like a dervish |
| Only what his conscience bade |
| Will Nature bestow on us again? |
| Another Syed of his grain? |
| I ponder in hope and daze; |
| Let us pay him tributes |
| Befitting his stature; |
| In the words of Iqbal |
| Very few like him are born |
| Once in a millennium. |
