28.Dam ghaneemat zaan: Ali Mohammad Gilkar

Preface:

I may have erred at many places because of the constraints of translation and because of lack of comprehension. Pray that Allah forgives me for any error that may have been made by me while translating and explaining this poem.

دم غنِیمت زان نادان غأفلو

چِھی کُنی کتھ پِیر باوان کأمِلو۔

بوْے ہیتو پانس، سُنا اکھ موْے چِھی دوٗر

عشق رہبر، مُشک میٖلِتھ در گُلو۔

Dum ghanimat zaan nadaan gaefilo,

Chhi kunie kath peer bawaan kaemilo.

Boi hettov paanas, suna akh moi chhi duur,

Ishq rehbar, mushk meelith dar-gulo.

باوان: to disclose

بوْے: Smell

موْے: Hair-strand

Consider this moment(life) as reward, O ignorant unmindful,

The mentor is disclosing to you the monotheism perfect.

Whiff yourself, He is not even a hair length far,

Love as guide, (and you will find) fragrance and flower are one.

کانی آدم معانی چُھس لا انتہا

زانہ غأبِك پٔے انِن صاحب دِلو۔

Kaani Aadam, maani chhus La-intiha,

Zaani gaebik pie annin sahib dilo.

کانی: Heredity

Offspring of Adam, meaning is infinite,

Knows how to bring forth the unseen, that pious.

شأہدس نِشی وأحدس سپدی احد

میٖم تراوِتھ لامؔ الفسؔ گو مِلو۔

Shahidas nishi waahidas sapdee Ahad,

Meem traevith Laam Alifas gov milo.

مِلو: Unity

Infront of witness, the One will become Unique,

Leaving meem, the Laam and Alif united(making La).

This couplet troubled me a lot and I couldn't comprehend it properly. After much thinking I have reached to the conclusion below. May Allah forgive me for any wrong interpretation that may have crept in‌ unintentionally.

In the company of Shahid (one of the names of Prophet SAW), you will get to know Allah better i.e., from the stage of believing Allah as Wahid(numerical one) you will reach the stage of believing Allah as Ahad(Unique). And if you don't consider Prophet SAW (Meem) then all other things (Alif and Laam) will bring you no benefit.

گاہ چُھو مشتاق، گاہ چُھو معشوق پانسٔی

گاہ برسر، گاہ مْیے ڈِھیوٹُھم برتَلو۔

برسر: Destination

ڈِھیوٹُھم: to see

Gah chhi mushtaq, gah chi mashoq paansie,

Gah bar sar, gah mey dyuuthum bar-talo.

Sometimes a lover, sometimes beloved of His own self,

Sometimes on destination, sometimes I saw Him yet at the door.

This is greatest hint towards wahdatul wajood. Second lines hints towards the journey of Mairaj.

مول خالق، کُل چُھوی پیدا ظِل عرش

گُل چُھوی مُحیط، رہِتھ چھاوان بُلبُلو۔

Mol Khaeliq, kul chi paida zil arsh,

Gul chi muheet, rahith chhavaan bulbulo.

مُحیط: Encompassing

چھاوان: Enjoy

The Creator is the reality, the totality is born under the shadow of Throne,

Flower is circumambient, static enjoys the nightingales (lovers).

The Creator is the reality and rest of the things are just value addition to the Universe. Mol(مول) means intrinsic value, the real thing and kul (کُل) means total after value addition to the real thing.

Like a flower, the flower that encompasses whole of the Garden, He is enjoying the love of his lovers.

مست سپدُس عیں ہستی، نِیست گوس

دست خألی، گوس اصلس واصِلو۔

Mast sapdus ain hasti, neest goas,

Dast khaeli, goas aslas waesilo.

نِیست: Destruction

واصِل: Unity/Rendezvous/Meet

I delved in the very existence, non-existent I become,

Empty hands (but) acquired the real unity.

When I delved deep into the mysteries of existence, I found that I have no separate existence and therefore I got totally annihilated. On annihilation I achieved the real existence.

ہیری شمس بونہِ پرتو ذر ذرس

دوْن اندر میے سوْن بنیَمنا سرتلو۔

Heri shams bonne partov zar zaras,

Don andar (mey) sonn banemna sartalo.

The Sun above, the image below on every particle,

(I wish) betwixt the two my brass becomes the gold.

شمس: Sun

پرتو: Reflection/Image

The God above and his manifestations below, inbetween I wish I become worth Him like Gold from a base metal.

درآو حضرتؐ آو جبریلؑ ہیتھ قران

پایہِ بٔڈ سِند آیہِ چُھم سایس تلو۔

Draav Hazrat, aaw Jabreel heth Quran,

Paayi badi sind aayi chhum saayas talo.

پایہِ بٔڈ: One who is mighty and yet dignified

Prophet appeared, came Jibril with Quran,

The verses of mighty dignified are in Shadow's keep.

The Prophet SAW is shade of God on earth. The Qur'an that came from God isn't actually away from God.

وتھ چھے اصلِچ، تتھ چِھی محرم جانبازؔ

ستھ چھے وادی، کتھ چھے کونرچی مُکملو۔

Wath chhey aslich, tath chi mahram janbaz,

Sath chhey waadi, kath chhey kunirich mukmalo.

محرم: Confidante

وادی: Word

The path is of goodness, Janbaz is its confidante,

Hope is of (his) word, (his) precept of monotheism is complete.

The path shown by my Mentor Janbaz is of goodness and I have hope his words will help me as he has guided me with the precept of monotheism in its complete form.

گارہ یسٔی دربار تورے، لاری سُیوی

خارہ دارس پانہ سپدس صیقلو۔

Gaari yessie darbaar torai, laari sui,

Khara-daaras paane sapdes saiqalo.

Gaara: گارہ: to search eagerly for/to remember affectionately, to miss (a friend), every now and then to think of a person and long for his presence.

One who is longed by the Court itself, that only will run towards it,

The roughness will itself turn into smoothness.

A person cannot love God unless God wishes so. And once God blesses someone with it, howsoever rough his life may be, it will become smooth.

کألی کوْرنم سوختہ یارن موختہ ہار

زألی جامے، نألی گیم ہانکلو۔

Kaael kornam sokhte yaaran mokhte haar,

Zaael jaamai, naael gayem haankalo.

سوختہ یارن: Scorched, burnt friend

موختہ ہار: Pearl necklace

ہانکل: Chain

Sometime ago, scorched friend gave me pearl necklace,

It burnt my clothes, became a chain around my neck.

My mentor(who was scorched in the love of God) gave me prescription of such love in form of remembrance of God(Mokhte Haar in sufi terms means the remembrance of God. Every chant is considered pearl and chain of chants a pearl necklace). When I put it in my neck, I became crazy that I burnt my clothes and it became a chain/shackle around my neck. (Chain in the sense that his life was now bound to God like a slave).

نَشہِ عشقنی عأشہِ متی نشرأونس

کھش کرِتھ مشرونم میے ششکلو۔

Nashe ishqani aeshmaettie nashraevnas,

Khash karith mushraevnam mey shashkalo.

نَشہِ: Addiction

عأشہِ متی: Pleasure-loving

نشرأونس: make addicted 

ششکلو: Six senses.

The pleasure-lover (beloved) addicted me with the intoxication of love,

Slitting my throat made me forget all the six senses.

I got so intoxicated in love of beloved that I forgot all the six senses; five worldly and sixth outwordly as well.

آشی چانے پوٗرِ علؔیس گاش آو

ماشہِ ماران خورده عالم در دِلو۔

Aashi chaanay, poore Ali'yas gaash aaw,

Maashi maraan khurda aalam dar-dilo.

 ماشہِ ماران: to aim at something/to traget

 خورده عالم: fault finding world

 

In your longing, Ali acquired the full vision,

Fault finding world is targeting me, O threshold of my heart.

Now that I got vision because of your love, I see many such things that go beyond the comprehension of common people. Therefore people now traget me O my beloved. (But as long as you remain my beloved, I don't care).

وللہ اعلم بالصواب

Note: Ali Mohammad Gilkar Sahab has probably written only one poem in his life.