50. Mahmood Gami: Chaani Bartal

This poem is said to be of Lall Dedh and some say it is of Mahmood Gami. But I personally feel it is of Mahmood Gami because Lall Dedh doesn't have any extant long poem to her credit. She specialised in vaakhs that were 4 to 6 lines long.

چانہِ برتل راوؠم ہا رأژٕے

آواز وأژٕے نو۔

Chaani bartal ravem ha raaechie,

Aawaaz waechie no!

At your doorway (in hope of audience), I lost (many a) nights,

Did my lamentations not reach you?

صاحبو لگۓ چانی قودرأژٕے

بوتۂ وُچھہا نوُران چون۔

چانی نوٗرک چُھم طلب ہأژٕے

آواز وأژٕے نو۔

Sahibo lagai chaani qodraechie,

Bu ti wuchh-ha nuuraan choan.

Chaani nuuruk chhum talabyaechie,

Aawaaz waechi no!

O Beloved! Let me sacrifice myself onto Your power (manifested in nature),

I too want to witness Your Radiance.

My quest is only for Your Light,

Did my lamentations not reach you?

کینزِٔ بٔرمۓ سارے نیامأژٕے

کھینۂ صاحبو آہام نہ زانہہ۔

اند کُن چھیس مندچھیمأژٕے

آواز وأژٕے نو۔

Kenzi barimai saray naemaechie,

Khenni Sahibo aahaam ne zanh.

Andd kun chhes mandchaemaechie,

Aawaaz waechi no!

I decorated the food bowl with all the delicacies,

(But) Beloved! You never came to taste them.

Aloof aside I stand ashamed,

Did my lamentations not reach you?

Interpretation:

Kenz here could mean the repository of remembrance of God and the delicacies could mean the various forms of remembrance. If God doesn't accept the deeds, a person could be put to shame here and in Hereafter.

Since the poem is feminine in narration, Kenz is used here. Traditionally, kenz is specifically meant for womenfolk and men don't eat in it.

بأل بألی مۓ پک یاژٕے

گأل کٔیتیا سمسارن۔

کمن صورژن گژھان میأژٕے

آواز وأژٕے نو۔

Bael baaeli mai pakk yaechie,

Gaael keetya samsaran.

Kaman suurchhan gachhan meaychie,

Aawaaz waechi no!

O friend, my young friend, don't walk only (proudly),

The world annihilated lot many.

Much prettier faces turn into dust,

Did my lamentations not reach you?

Interpretation:

Life should not be passed with pride and  just for the sake of passing. Something divine should be achieved. Nor should be one proud of one's physical appearances as even the prettiest faces in the world finally turn into the dust.

یارٔ کٔرتھس آرۓ کٔژٔئی

خار تھوتھم گلابو۔

مسول چھیس نندرےیأژٕے

آواز وأژٕے نو۔

Yaar kerthas aarai keechie,

Khaar thovtham gulaabo.

Maswal chhes nindrihaechie,

Aawaaz waechie no!

On Beloved! You made me worth pity,

Kept thorn (in me) O (my) Rose.

I am an Iris, half asleep,

Did my lamentations not reach you?

Interpretation:

Your love made me an object of pity because the thorn of separation is stuck in my heart. To end the separation and find union, I search You in nights. Iris is a flower that looks like half open and half closed. Comparing oneself with Iris is grand simile. The lover seeking beloved in nights and is thus half awake half asleep like an Iris.

کھأسی ووزٔل، برگ چھأژٕے

چھیس سورگٔچ یمبرزل۔

ویرٔ بومبرٔنۂ گیس ہا مأژٕے

آواز وأژٕے نو۔

Khaes wozil, barg chhaechie,

Chhes sorgich yimbirzal.

Vayri bomburinie gayas ha maechie,

Aawaaz waechi no!

(With) red cups and the white petals,

I am the yimbirzal of paradise.

In the longing of the Bumble-Bee, I became insane,

Did my lamentation not reach you?

Interpretation:

The middle part of the Yimbirzal flower, bright yellow in colour, is like a cup and the white petals surround that cup. The poet has compared the eyes with that cup (red however by virtue of tears) and the eyelids, that have lost the colour, as petals. Chhachie means white but also denotes losing the colour. Yimbirzal always longs for the Bumble-Bee and vice-versa but they never find each other because Yimbirzal exists in early spring and Bumble-Bee in Mid-Summer. Their love and longing is one of the finest example in the Kashmiri folklore. In this couplet the lover is Yimbirzal and the beloved is Bumble-Bee.

ژونز شوٗبۓ بہ خذمأژٕے

گرْنز صاحبو ہیژٔتھ نہ زانہہ۔

ادٔ ناو پیوم للۂ مأژٕے

آواز وأژٕے نو۔

Chonzz shuubai bu khizmaaechie,

Graenz Sahibo hechith ne zanh.

Adde naav pyom Lalle Maaechie,

Aawaaz waaechie no!

I will be the suitable one to serve you,

(But) O my Beloved, you never considered the same

That's the reason I gained name Lall-the insane,

(And yet) Did my lamentations not reach you?

بار بارۓ کرؠم سأژٕے

زار بوزتم محؔمودس۔

کألی میلو قیامأژٕے

آواز وأژٕے نو۔

Baar baarai karem saechie,

Zaar boztam Mahmoodas.

Kael meylov qayamachie,

Aawaaz waechi no!

I cried out repeatedly reassuring myself out of hope,

Listen to the lamentations of Mahmood.

Tomorrow (anyway) we will meet on Judgement Day,

Did my lamentations not reach you?

Interpretation:

We will meet anyway in the Judgement Day but I cried out in hope that we could have union in this life as well. Why wait for the Judgement Day where we will meet necessarily!

As Ghalib would say:

،جاتے ہوئے کہتے ہو قیامت کو ملیں گے

کیا خوب ! قیامت کا ہے گویا کوئی دن اور

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