Monday, December 14, 2009

Shah Hussain's Poetry



Madho Lal Hussain's Kafis

Life’s Journey - limits & boundaries
Main wi janan dhok Ranjhan di, naal mare koi challey
Pairan paindi, mintan kardi, jaanan tan peya ukkaley
Neen wi dhoonghi, tilla purana, sheehan ney pattan malley
Ranjhan yaar tabeeb sadhendha, main tan dard awalley
Kahe Husain faqeer namana, sain senhurray ghalley

Travelers, I too have to go; I have to go to the solitary hut of Ranjha. Is there any one who will go with me? I have begged many to accompany me and now I set out alone. Travelers, is there no one who could go with me?
The River is deep and the shaky bridge creaks as people step on it. And the ferry is a known haunt of tigers. Will no one go with me to the lonely hut of Ranjha?
During long nights I have been tortured by my raw wounds. I have heard he in his lonely hut knows the sure remedy. Will no one come with me, travelers?
______________________

On separation
Sujjen bin raatan hoiyan wadyan
Ranjha jogi, main jogiani, kamli kar kar sadian
Maas jhurey jhur pinjer hoyya, karkan lagiyan hadiyan
Main ayani niyoonh ki janan, birhoon tannawan gadiyan
Kahe Husain faqeer sain da, larr tairay main lagiyaan

Nights swell and merge into each other as I stand a wait for him.
Since the day Ranjha became jogi, I have scarcely been my old self and people every where call me crazy. My young flesh crept into creases leaving my young bones a creaking skeleton. I was too young to know the ways of love; and now as the nights swell and merge into each other, I play host to that unkind guest - separation.

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Female freedom
Ni Mai menoon Kherian di gal naa aakh
Ranjhan mera, main Ranjhan di, Kherian
noon koori jhak
Lok janey Heer kamli hoi, Heeray da wer chak

Do not talk of the Kheras* to me,
Oh mother do not .
I belong to Ranjha and he belongs to me.
And the Kheras dream idle dreams.
Let the people say, "Heer is crazy; she has given her-self to the cowherd." He alone knows what it all means.
O mother, he alone knows.
Please mother, do not talk to me of Kheras.

*The Kheras were a wealthy family.
"Shah ast Hussain, Badshah ast Hussain,
Deen ast Hussain, Deen e Panah ast Hussain,
Sar dad, na dad dast, dar dast-e-yazeed,
Haqaa key binaey La ila ast Hussain"
"Ruler is Hussain, Emperor is Hussain,
Religion is Hussain, Sheild of religion (Islam )
is Hussain, Gave his head but not his hand to Yazid,
Maintainer of the truth is no one but Hussain"
Ni Mai menoon Kherian di gal naa aakh
Ranjhan mera, main Ranjhan di, Kherian noon koori jhak
Lok janey Heer kamli hoi, Heeray da wer chak


Do not talk of the Kheras to me,
O mother, do not.
I belong to Ranjha and he belongs to me.
And the Kheras dream idle dreams.
Let the people say, "Heer is crazy; she has given her-self to the cowherd." He alone knows what it all means.
O mother, he alone knows.
Please mother, do not talk to me of Kheras.

Here is a "Kafi" presenting a different emotion:
Sujjen bin raatan hoiyan wadyan
Ranjha jogi, main jogiani, kamli kar kar sadian
Mass jhurey jhur pinjer hoyya, karken lagiyan hadyan
Main ayani niyoonh ki janan, birhoon tannawan gadiyan
Kahe Husain faqeer sain da, larr tairay main lagiyaan
Nights swell and merge into each other as I stand a wait for him.
Since the day Ranjha became jogi, I have scarcely been my old self and people every where call me crazy. My young flesh crept into creases leaving my young bones a creaking skeleton. I was too young to know the ways of love; and now as the nights swell and merge into each other, I play host to that unkind guest - separation.
mere sahiba meiN teri ho mukki haN
manoN na visariN meiNu mere sahiba
har galloN ve meiN mukki aaN
auganhaari ko gun naahiN
baksh kareiN taN meiN chutti aaN
jiyoN bhaave tyoN raakh payareya
daaman teray meiN lukki aaN
je tuN nazar mehar dee bhaaleiN
chaRh chaubaare meiN sutti aaN
Kahe hussain faqeer saayeeN da
dar teray dee meiN kutti aaN
rabba meray haal da mehram tuN
aNdar tuN haiN, baahir tuN haiN
roam roam vich tuN
tuN haiN taana, tuN haiN baana
sab kich mera tuN
kahe hussain faqir nimaana
meiN nahi sab tuN
Ranjha Ranjha Kardi Ni Mein, Aapay Ranjha Hui
Ranjha Kaho Saheliyoon…..
Meino Heer Na Aakho Koi
By repeating the mantra of Ranjha, I myself have become Ranjha
Call me Ranjha, no one should call me Heer
Kainde Ne..Kainde Ne Kay Lambviyan Ne Rawaan Ishq Diyaan…
Kainde Loki Kay Lambviyan Ne Rawaan Ishq Diyaan…
Ki Dasawan Ki Baat Sunawan Ishq Diyaan…
Ki Dasawan Ki Baat Sunawan Ishq Diyaan…
They say that the path of love is very long
What should I tell you about love?
Andar Aaao.. Bhira Paao..
Aa..Was Jaao…Saiyaan..
Andar Aaao.. Bhira Paao..
Aa..Was Jaao…Saiyaan..
Come inside (my life/soul) and stay their forever, beloved
Andar To Hi Bahar To Hi
Andar To Hi Bahar To Hi Roob Roob Wich Too..
To Hi Tana To Hi Bana Sub Kuch Mera Too…
Andar To Hi Bahar To Hi Roob Roob Wich Too….
To Hi Tana To Hi Bana Sub Kuch Mera Too…
You are inside me you outside of me
you are every bit of me
Your are my every thing
Kahe Hussain Faqir Namana
Kahe Hussain Faqir Namana…
Mein Nahi Sub Tooo…
Shah Hussain says, I have no existence without you (God).
Ki Dasawan Ki Baat Sunawan Ishq Diyaan…Haae..
Ki Dasawan Ki Baat Sunawan Ishq Diyaan..
What should I tell you about love?
Kanjri bania meri zaat na Ghat-dee, menu nach ke yaar manawan day
log ishq nu mul ginde, menu nach ke yaar manawan day
Kanjri bania meri zaat na Ghat-dee, menu nach ke yaar manawan day
log ishq nu mul ginde, menu nach ke yaar manawan day
My stature does not diminish by being a (harlot/dance girl/wh0re)
I must dance to win my love.
Let me dance to win my love.
Oo Aaja Rab Nahi Rusda..
Oo Aaja Rab Nahi Rusda Soon Rab Di
Jenu Yaar Manawan Da Chajj Hovey
Oo Waat Makkay di Kyon Pavey….
Oo Waat Makkay di Kyon Pavey
Jeday Yaar Nu Taakaya Hajj Hovey…
I swear to God that His God doesn’t get upset with him who knows how to appease him.
Why should one talk of Makkah, when s/he can perform his Hajj by just looking at his/her beloved?
Ki Dasawan Ki Baat Sunawan Ishq Diyaan…Haae..
Ki Dasawan Ki Baat Sunawan Ishq Diyaan..
Andar Aaao.. Bhira Paao..
Andar Aaao…Saiyaan..

Shah Hussain

Shah Hussain (1538 - 1599) was a Punjabi Sufi poet and Sufi saint. He was the son of Sheikh Usman, a weaver, and belonged to the Dhudha clan of Rajputs. He was born inLahore(present-day Pakistan). He is considered a pioneer of the kafi form of Punjabi poetry.

Shah Hussain's love for a Brahmin boy called "Madho" or "Madho Lal" is famous, and they are often referred to as a single person with the composite name of "Madho Lal Hussain". Madho's tomb lies next to Hussain's in the shrine.[

His tomb and shrine lies in Baghbanpura, adjacent to the Shalimar Gardens. His urs(annual death anniversary) is celebrated at his shrine every year during the "Mela Chiraghan" ("Festival of Lights").

Kafiyan Shah Hussain

Husain's poetry consists entirely of short poems known as "Kafis." A typical Husain Kafi contains a refrain and some rhymed lines. The number of rhymed lines is usually from four to ten. Only occasionally a more complete form is adopted. Husain's "Kafis" are also composed for and have been set to music deriving from Punjabi folk music.

Ni Mai menoon Kherian di gal naa aakh Ranjhan mera, main Ranjhan di, Kherian noon koori jhak Lok janey Heer kamli hoi, Heeray da wer chak

Do not talk of the Kheras to me, O mother, do not. I belong to Ranjha and he belongs to me. And the Kheras dream idle dreams. Let the people say, "Heer is crazy; she has given her-self to the cowherd." He alone knows what it all means. O mother, he alone knows. Please mother, do not talk to me of Kheras.


Another "Kafi":

Sujjen bin raatan hoiyan wadyan Ranjha jogi, main jogiani, kamli kar kar sadian Mass jhurey jhur pinjer hoyya, karken lagiyan hadyan Main ayani niyoonh ki janan, birhoon tannawan gadiyan Kahe Husain faqeer sain da, larr tairay main lagiyaan

Nights swell and merge into each other as I stand a wait for him. Since the day Ranjha became jogi, I have scarcely been my old self People every where call me crazy. My young flesh crept into creases leaving my young bones a creaking skeleton. I was too young to know the ways of love; and now as the nights swell and merge into each other, I play host to that unkind guest - separation.


In another "Kafi" using the Heer-Ranjha motif:

Main wi janan dhok Ranjhan di, naal mare koi challey Pairan paindi, mintan kardi, janaan tan peya ukkaley Neen wi dhoonghi, tilla purana, sheehan ney pattan malley Ranjhan yaar tabeeb sadhendha, main tan dard awalley Kahe Husain faqeer namana, sain senhurray ghalley

Travelers, I too have to go; I have to go to the solitary hut of Ranjha. Is there any one who will go with me? I have begged many to accompany me and now I set out alone. Travelers, is there no one who could go with me?

The River is deep and the shaky bridge creaks as people step on it. And the ferry is a known haunt of tigers. Will no one go with me to the lonely hut of Ranjha?

During long nights I have been tortured by my raw wounds. I have heard he in his lonely hut knows the sure remedy. Will no one come with me, travelers?

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Bhulle Shah's kafi collection



Kafi a classical form of Sufi poetry, mostly in Punjabi, Sindhi and Seraiki languages and originating from the Punjab and Sindh inPakistan. Some well-known Kafi poets of this style have been Baba Farid, Bulleh Shah, Shah Hussain, Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai, Sachal Sarmast andKhwaja Ghulam Farid. This poetry style has also lend itself to the Kafi genre of singing, popular throughout South Asia, especially Pakistan and India. Over the years, both Kafi poetry and its rendition have experienced rapid growth phases as various poets and vocalists added their own influences to the form, creating a rich and varied poetic form, yet through it all it remained centered around the dialogue between the Soul and the Creator, symbolized by murid (disciple) and his Murshid (Master), and often by lover and his Beloved .
While the word is derived from Arabic, kafa meaning group, the genre is said to be derived from Arabic poetry genre, qasidah, a monorhyme ode, it always meant to be sung, using one or two lines as refrain sang repeatedly to create a mood. Kafi poetry is usually themed around heroic and great romantic tales from the folkfore, often used a metaphor for mystical truths, and spiritual longing.
Some kafis of Bhulle shah
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Aaa

Paddh Paddh Ilm Hazaar Kitaaban
Kadi Apne Aap Nu Parhiya Nai
Ja Ja Warde Mandir Maseeti
Kadi Munn Apne Vich Warya Nai
Aiwein Larda Shaitaan De Naal Bandiya
Kadi Nafs Apne Naal Larya Nai
Aakhe Peer Bulleh Shah Aasmani Pharhna Eh
Jehda Munn Vich Wasda Ohnu Pharya Nai
Aiwen Matha Zameen Ghisaai Da
Pa Latha Mehraab Dikhaai Da
Parh Kalima Lok Hasaai Da
Dil Andar Samajh Na Laai Da
Kadi Sachi Baat Vi Lukdi Eh
Ik Nukte Vich Gahl Mukdi Eh
Ik Nuqte Vich Gal Mukdi Eh
Ik Nuqte Vich Gal Mukdi Eh
Pharh Nukta Chourh Hisabaan Nu
Pharh Nukta Chourh Hisabaan Nu
Ik Nuqte Vich Gal Mukdi Eh
Ik Nuqte Vich Gal Mukdi Eh
Masjid Dhaade Mandir Dhaade Dhaade Jo Kuch Denda
Per Kise Da Dil Na Dhaaveen Rub Dilaan Vich Rehnda
Aaa
Ho Miyaaan!
Aaa
Aashiq Hoyon Rub Da Howi Malamat Laakh
Ouh Tenu Kafir Kafir Aakh De Tu Aho Aho Aakh
Ho Miyaan!
Kai Haaji Ban Ban Aaye Ji
Gal Neele Jaame Paaye Ji
Aaa
Dushman Mare Ta Khushi Na Kariye Sajna Vi Mar Jana Eh
Degar De Din Gaya Mohammad Ohruk Nu Dub Jana Eh
Aaa
Uth Farida Sutya Dunya Vekhan Ja
Je Koi Miljaye Bakhsiya Te Tu Vi Bakhsha Jaye
Kai Haji Ban Ban Aaye Ji
Gal Neele Jaame Paaye Ji
Hajj Vech Take Lae Khaaye Ji
Per Eh Gahl Keehnu Bhaaye Ji
Kadi Baat Sachi Vi Rukdi Eh
Ik Nukte Vich Gahl Mukdi Eh
Ik Nuqte Vich Gal Mukdi Eh
Ik Nuqte Vich Gal Mukdi Eh
Pharh Nukta Chourh Hisabaan Nu
Pharh Nukta Chourh Hisabaan Nu
Ik Nuqte Vich Gal Mukdi Eh
Ik Nuqte Vich Gal Mukdi Eh
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Raanjha raanjha kardi ni men aape raanjha hoi
Saddo ni menu dhido raanjha, heer na aakho koi.
Raanjha men vich men raanjhe vich, hor khayaal na koi,
Men nahin, o aap hai aapani aap kare dil joi.
Hath khundi, mere agge mangu, modde bhuri loey,
Bulla heer saleti vekho kithe ja khaloi.
Aa mil yaar saar le meri, meri jaan dukhaan ne gheri.
Andar khvaab vichoda hoya, khabar na paindi teri.
Sunni ban vich lutti saiyaan, chor shaang ne gheri.
Mullah qazi saahnu raah bataavan, dein dharam de pheri.
Eh taan thug ne jagg de jheevar, laavan jaal chuferi.
Karam sharaan de dharam bataavan, sangal paavan pairi,
Zaat mazhab eh ishk na puchhda, ishk shara da vairi.
Nadiyon paar mulak sajan da, lobh lehar ne gheri,
Satgur beddi phaddi khalote, taen kyun layi a deri.
Bulla shah shauh tennu milsi, dil nu deh dileri,
Preetam paas te tolna kisnu, bhulliyon sikhar dupehri.
Aa mil yaar saar le meri, meri jaan dukhaan ne gheri
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Chal Way Bullehya Chal O'thay Chaliyay
Jithay Saaray Annay
Na Koi Saadee Zaat PichHanay
Tay Na Koi Saanu Mannay