90. Pompuir Naameh: Mahmud Gaem

پونٚپٕرۍ نامہٕ

põnpɨrʲ naːmah

“The Allegory of Moth”

(محموٗد گٲمۍ)

پونپوٗر چُھ مشہوٗر عجب عاشق جانسوز

دۆد اکہِ دمۓ یام ڈیوٹُھن شمع دل افروز

IPA:

/põːnpuːr t͡ʃʰu məʃuːr ad͡ʒab aːʃɨk d͡ʒaːnsoːz/
/doːd aki damai̯ jaːm ɖoːʈʰun ʃamʕ dil afɾoːz/

Romanisation:

Põnpūr chu mashhūr ajab ʿāshiq jānsōz
Dod aki damai yām ḍyoṭhun shama dil-afrōz

Translation:

The moth, strange tormentor of its seeking soul,

Was burnt at sight of the heart-illuminating candle whole.

Commentary:

The moth represents the restless human soul, tormented by its longing for the Divine. The candle embodies the light of Truth: radiant, irresistible, and annihilating. The soul’s burning is not destruction but transformation: the loss of self before the presence of God. This opening couplet establishes the core Sufi paradox: illumination through annihilation.

تس سٔتۍ مچھو کٔتۍ کریاے حِیلہ بہانۓ

یا باو تَس سُند ناو نتۓ ہاو نِشانۓ

IPA:

/tɨs sɨʈi mʧʰʊ kɐʈi kɐrjai̯ hiːla bɐhaːnai̯/
/jaː baːw tɨs sund naːw nɨtai̯ haːw nɨʃaːnai̯/

Romanisation:

Tas sati mchhŭ kaṭi kariyāy hīla bahānai
Yā bāw tas sund nāw natay haw nishānai

Translation:

The flies contrived full many a cunning art,

“Disclose His name,” they pled, “or show His part.”

Commentary:

The flies symbolise superficial seekers who rely on intellect and argument rather than surrender. Their demand for proof reveals a mind still bound to form and reason. In contrast to the moth’s self-sacrifice, their curiosity remains safe and external: a critique of knowledge without burning.

دل کتہِ لۆگُے متہ، دپھتو تتہِ وُچُھت کیٚاہ

فٔرۍیاد کۆرُن زار وۆنُن بڈِ کۆرُن آہ

IPA:

/dil kɨtɨ loːgʊj matɨ dɨpʰtoː tɨtɨ wʊt͡ʃʰʊt kʲah/
/fɨrijaːd koːrun zaːr vonun bɨɖi koːrun aːh/

Romanisation:

Dil kathɨ loguy matɨ, daphto tathi wuchhuth kyah
Farīyād korun zār vonun baḍi korun āh

Translation:

With whom your heart did fall in love, O ecstatic, what did you see?

He wept, lamented, sighed in love’s fierce agony.

Commentary:

This couplet dramatises the lover’s inability to express the ineffable vision. The only authentic response to Divine encounter is tears and sighs; signs of an inner combustion that words cannot carry. In Sufi terms, this is the stage of love, where emotion replaces explanation.

دیوانہٕ بہٕ پروانہٕ کٔرِتھ باوٕ کمِس گراو

سُے زانہِ یؠمیُک معنہ یؠمِس بنِتھ آو

IPA:

/diːwaːnɨ bɨh prɨwaːnɨ kɨrɨt baw kɨmɨs gɨraːw/
/sʊj zaːnɨ jɨmʲuk maʕnɪ jɨmɨs bɨnɨt aːw/

Romanisation:

Dīvānah bah pravānah karith baw kamis graav
Suy zānah yamyuk maʿnɪ yimis banith aav

Translation:

Maddened by the candle, with whom to plead my pain,

He alone can know it who’s been scorched the same.

Commentary:

The lover confesses the solitude of mystical suffering. Only one who has tasted the same fire can comprehend it, an echo of the Sufi principle that experience transcends teaching. The shared burn is the only fellowship among true seekers.

تٔمۍ تورٕ دۆپُکھ کُنہِ چُھنا شمہُکُے گاشاہ

بیٖنا أچھو سٕتۍ ادٕ وُچھتو تُہۍ تہِ تماشاہ

IPA:

/ta.mi tu.rɨ do.pʊkʰ kʊ.nɨ t͡ʃʰʊ.na ʃam.hʊ.kui gaː.ʃaːh/
/biː.na a.t͡ʃʰʊv sɨ.tɨ ad wʊ.t͡ʃʰʊ.tov tʊ.hɨ tɨ ta.maː.ʃaːh/

Romanisation:

Tami turɨ dopukh kunɨ chhuna sham-hukui gāshāh
Bina achhov sɨtɨ ad wuchhutov tuhy tih tamāshāh

Translation:

“Is there no candle’s light,” he cried, “to find around?

If you have sight, behold the play profound.”

Commentary:

It is a reproach to the flies: you are unable to perceive a single illuminated candle. Had your eyes been discerning, you too would have beheld the profound spectacle of the Beloved.

ژھانڈان تہٕ ژھۄنڈان درٚایہِ، مچھو یام شمع ڈِیوٗٹھ

کمہِ مایہ پھیٖرتھ آیہ، وُچُکھ پان زالُن کرٚیوٗٹھ

IPA:

/ʦhãːɳɖaːn tɨ ʦhɔ̃ːɳɖaːn drɨ.jeː mɨt͡ʃʰʊʋ jaːm ʃamə̯ ɖjʊʈʰ/
/kɨ.mɨ maːj pʰiː.rɨtʰ aː.jeː wʊ.t͡ʃʰʊk paːn zaː.lʊn kɨ.rʲʊʈʰ/

Romanisation:

Chhā̃ṇḍān tih chhɔ̃ṇḍān drayi, machhov yām shama ḍyuth
Kəmh māy pʰīrith āy, wuchukh pān zālun kriyuth

Translation:

Seeking and searching, the flies drew near the light,

Returned in guile, self-burning proved their fright.

Commentary:

The half-hearted seekers approach the flame but retreat when confronted with its consuming reality. Their fear exposes attachment to the self they claim to transcend. This stage distinguishes the curious from the courageous, those who only observe from those who die in love. As Allama Iqbal says,

بے خطر کود پڑا آتش نمرود میں عشق

عقل ہے محو تماشائے لب بام ابھی

افسوس تَس یُس گرِ نیٖرتھ وتہِ پھیٖرتھ آو

راوٕروو تمۍ مندٕچھوو تِمن عاشقن ہُنٚد ناو

IPA:

/af.suːs tas jus ga.ri niː.rɨtʰ wɨ.tɨ pʰiː.rɨtʰ aːw/
/raʋ.roːw ta.mi mɨn.dɨt͡ʃʰʊʋ tɨ.mɨn aː.ʃɨ.kɨn hiʊn̪d naːw/

Romanisation:

Afsoos tas yus gari nīrith wathi pʰīrith āw
Ravrov tamy mandɨchhov timan āshiqan hiʊn̪d nāw

Translation:

Pity him who left, then faltered by the way;

He devalued and shamed the lovers’ name away.

Commentary:

Abandoning the path midway is a betrayal of love’s covenant. The faltering seeker represents spiritual cowardice, beginning the journey but fearing the cost. In Sufi ethics, such retreat is more grievous than never having sought at all, for it profanes the name of love.

گو پانہِ سُے پروانہٕ تمۍ آنہٕ زولُن پان

ترٚٲوٕن نہٕ کرٚؠکھ تَے باکھ، تھووُن عاشقن ارمان

IPA:

/go paː.nɨh suj par.waː.nah ta.mi aː.nɨh zo.lʊn paːn/
/trɔː.wɨn nah kreːkʰ tɐi̯ baːkʰ tʰoʋun aː.ʃɨ.kɨn ar.maːn/

Romanisation:

Go pānih suy parwānah tamy ānih zolun pān
Trāwin nah krekh tai bākh, thovun āshiqan armān

Translation:

The moth went forth, burnt in one breath of fire,

He neither wept nor cried, but stirred the lovers’ desire.

Commentary:

Here the moth achieves ecstatic martyrdom. His silent burning exemplifies annihilation of the ego in the Beloved. His composure in death becomes a beacon for other lovers; through his immolation he transmits the contagion of divine yearning.

گو پۆز تہٕ اپُز سرٕ، وُچھتو پیٖر سُندُے کار

نارس تہ نوٗرس پتہٕ، پانس پانہٕ گرفتار

IPA:

/go poːz tɨ a.pʊz sɨr wʊt͡ʃʰ.tʊ pir sun.dũi kaːr/

/naː.ras tɨ nuː.ras pɨ.ti paː.nas paː.nɨh gi.rɨf.taːr/

Romanisation:

Go poz tah apuz sar, wuchhto peer sunduy kār

Nāras tah nūras pathi, pānas pānah giriftār

Translation:

Truth from falsehood stood revealed; obey the guide’s divine call,

Chasing flame and light, the moth is captive of his own thrall.

Commentary:

The moth is truth and the flies falsehood. The same become evident because of spiritual guidance. A true lover never ceases to pursue annihilation and permanence. Fire and light represent fana and baqa respectively.

پُرسان کۆرہس پان کوو نارٕ زولُتھ ژ ٚے

سؠٚود کیازِ لوگُتھ سادٕ، کمیُک وادٕ پولُتھ ژ ٚے

IPA:

/pur.saːn ko.rɦɨs paːn koːw naːrɨ zo.lʊtʰ ʦeː/
/sʲod̪ kʲi.jaːzi loː.gʊtʰ saːd̪i kɨ.mʲuk waːd̪ po.lʊtʰ ʦeː/

Romanisation:

Pursān korhas pān kow nārɨ zoluth ʦe

Syod kiyāzi loguth sādi, kamyuk wād poluth ʦe

Translation:

When inquired, “Why threw yourself into the burning fire’s spell?

Why act so witless, simple heart; what vow compelled you, tell?”

Commentary:

This inquiry represents the challenge of reason confronting love. The rational mind cannot comprehend voluntary suffering and sees devotion as madness. The couplet emphasise the tension between intellect and love, where logic falters before ecstasy.

تمۍ ہیوتُن ونُن حال پنُن کیٚاہ بنُن گو

جانباز محرمِ راز چُھ ییمۍ ماز پنُن کھیوٚو

IPA:

/t̪ɐ.mɪ̆ hʲo.tʊn vo.nʊn haːl pa.nʊn kʲah ba.nʊn goː/
/d͡ʒaːn.baːz maħ.ra.mi raːz t͡ʃʰʊ je.mi maːz pa.nʊn kʰjoːw/

Romanisation:

Tamĭ hyotun vonun hāl panun kyah banun go
Jānbāz maḥram-i rāz chhu yemi māz panun khyow

Translation:

He started to speak of his state and what he bore,

The brave who fed upon himself knows love’s secret lore.

Commentary:

The moth’s reply defines the essence of the path: self-consumption. To “feed upon oneself” means to destroy the ego and become nourishment for the fire of God. Only those who have devoured their own selves know the secret of love.

در نار ڈیٚونٹھم یار ہاوان عاشقن دیدار

یکبار کٔرمس لار سپُن نار مےٚ گلزار

IPA:

/dar naːr ɟʲoːnʈʰʊm jaːr haːwan aːʃɨqan diːdaːr/

/jak.baːr kə.rɨ.mɨs laːr sɨ.pʊn naːr meː gʊl.zaːr/

Romanisation:

Dar nār ḍyovṇṭhum yār hāvan āshiqan dīdār

Yakbār karəmus lār, supun nār mey gulzār

Translation:

I saw the Beloved reveal His face to lovers in fire’s sea,

In a flash I followed too, the flames turned garden for me.

Commentary:

The imagery expresses the transformation of suffering into bliss: when seen with purified vision and jumping in it in love, even the consuming fire becomes a garden of union.

از دوٗر مےٚ یُس نوٗر تسنٚد وارٕ ڈیوٗنٹھم پوٗر

کۆر سرٕ اکے ذرٕ سٕتین کوہِ طوٗرس سوٗر

IPA:

/az duːr meː jus nuːr tɨ.sɨnd vaːr ɟʲoːnʈʰʊm puːr/

/kɔːr sɨr a.kɨ zar sɨ.tʲiːn koːhi ʈuːrɨs suːr/

Romanisation:

Az door mey yus noor tasand wār dyovṇṭhum pūr

Kōr sar akay zar sətīn koh-i ṭoors sūr

Translation:

From far I saw His radiance, full, resplendent, and whole,

One ray assayed Mount Tur and dust became the whole.

Commentary:

Love enabled the lover to withstand the full radiance of the Beloved, though a single ray of that radiance had once reduced Mount Tur to dust.

نارس مہٕ مٲرِم گتھ یارس یؠلہ فدا گوس

خصمانہ کٔرتھ تنہٕ زن اسمانہ ؤسِتھ پیوس

IPA:

/naː.ras mɨ mă.rɨm gɨtʰ jaː.ras jɛ.lɨh fɨ.daː goːs/

/ɣɨs.maː.nɨh kə.rɨtʰ tɨ.nɨh zan as.maː.nɨh wa.sɨtʰ pʲoːs/

Romanisation:

Nāras meh mărim gath yāras yelli fidā gōs

Khasmānah karith tanh zan, asmānah wasith pyos

Translation:

Around the flame I circled, by the Beloved’s charm drawn nigh,

Since then my Love became my foe, I feel cast down from sky.

Commentary:

After the moment of union comes separation. The lover feels estranged, as if the same Love that lifted him now casts him down. This oscillation between nearness and distance is rhythm of love. Love wounds as it heals.

پونپوٗر بہٕ نو دوٗرِ چُھسے ژوٗرِ بہتھ کتھ

سُے زانہ یُس چُھے نوٗرِ خدا ژوٗرِ سٔرتھ کتھ

IPA:

/pon.puːr bɨh noː duːrɨ t͡ʃʰʊ.sɛj ʦuːrɨ bɨ.hɨtʰ kɨtʰ/

/suːj zaː.nɨh jus t͡ʃʰʊi nuːrɨ xu.daː ʦuːrɨ sɨ.rɨtʰ kɨtʰ/

Romanisation:

Ponpo͞or be no doori chhŭsai ʦo͞ori biheth kath

Suy zānah yus chhui noori Khuda ʦo͞ori sarith kath

Translation:

I am a moth, not distant far; why hide Yourself from me?

He knows alone who seeks the Light in silent secrecy.

Commentary:

Here, the lover’s complaint takes on an intimate and yearning tone. He feels near yet unseen, as though the veil of separation still endures. He likens himself to a seeker who pursues the Divine in utmost secrecy, for it is in such hidden seeking that the lover is nearest to the Beloved.

شمہس تہ اۆش پۆک دارِ گفت اے یارِ وفادار

تھزِ کارِ دلہٕ کے نارٕ، کمیوٗ یارٕ ہیۆتُے نار

IPA:

/ʃam hʊs tɨ oːʃ poːk daːrɨ guft eː jaːrɨ wafaːdaːr/

/tʰazɨ kaːrɨ dɨlɨ kɨ naːrɨ kɨmjuː jaːrɨ hyuːtʊ naːr/

Romanisation:

Sham-hus tah osh pok dār-i guft, ae yār-i wafādār

Thazi kār-i dilah ke nār, kamyū yār hyutə nār

Translation:

The candle also wept and said, “O faithful friend, so true,

Was it your honour or your heart’s fire that burned you through?”

Commentary:

Now the candle, symbol of the Divine or the spiritual master, becomes conscious and compassionate. Its question pierces to the root: was the lover consumed by pride in love, or by love itself? Even purity must be tested, for ego may disguise itself as devotion. The weeping candle mirrors divine tenderness toward the seeker’s ordeal.

یُس یارٕ توے نارٕ منزٕے ووت دٔری یاوس

تس نِشہِ چُھسے پانہ، پنن خانہٕ ہاوے کس

IPA:

/jus jaːrɨ twaɪ naːrɨ mãnzai woːt dɨri jawas/

/tɨs nɨʃah̆ t͡ʃʰʊsai paːnah pə.nʊn khaːnah haːwe kas/

Romanisation:

Yus yār twai nār manzai wot dari yawas

Tas nishah̆ chhūsai pānah, panun khānah hawə kas

Translation:

“O friend, the one who through fire therefore reached the river’s flow,

Now dwells with me, whom shall I my abode show?”

Commentary:

The “river’s flow” represents the current of divine union, the stage of fana-fillah (annihilation in God). The moth who reached that river no longer exists as a separate being; he “dwells with me,” says the candle, meaning he has merged with the Source. There is no abode left to show, for he has become the dwelling itself.

چُھے نَحنُ اقرب خاصہٕ گواہ آیتے قرآن

پر وَھُوَ مُحکَم، سرٕ کر تو یارٕ پنن پان

IPA:

/t͡ʃʰɨh nɒh.nʊ aq.rɨb xaːsah̆ go.wah aː.yɨtɨ qo.raːn/

/par wa.hu.a moh.kam sɨr kɨrɨ to jaːrɨ pə.nʊn paːn/

Romanisation

Chhɨh nahnu aqrab khāsah̆ gawāh āyat e Qurān

Par wa-hua mohkam, sir kar to yāreh panun pān

Translation:

"We are nearer”, the Qur’an’s witnessing line,

Believe “and it’s decisive,” and find your own design.

Commentary:

The verse alludes to “We are nearer to him than his jugular vein” of Qur'an. It's invoked here as revelation of inward nearness. The seeker need not travel outward; realisation lies within. Read and believe in the above verse's decisiveness and you will find your own self.

با شمع دِلاں بیہتہٕ دما، دل ژ ٚے گژھی موم

چُھس کیٚاہ اوسُس کیٚاہ وۄنی کوٚت گژٕھ یہ کیٚاہ گوم

IPA:

/baː ʃamʕ dɨ.lãː beh.tah̆ da.maː dɨl ʦe gə̆ʦʰɨ moːm/

/t͡ʃʰʊs kɨah osʊs kɨah woːni kʊt gə̆ʦʰ yih kɨah goːm/

Romanisation:

Bā shamʕ dilān behtă damā, dil tse gə̆tshɨ mōm

Chhʊs kyah osʊs kyah wōni kut gə̆tsh yih kyah gom

Translation:

Sit for a while with the candle that melts lovers’ hearts,

You too shall melt; what am I, what was I, what departs?

Commentary:

This is the invitation to companionship with the illuminated. To “sit with the candle” is to stay in the presence of a heart enflamed by God, until one’s own hardness softens. The refrain “what am I, what was I, what departs” signals the dissolution of identity: the seeker’s self melts into formless awareness. Transformation in companionship of enlightened.

اۆن دوٗرِ کیٚاہ پرٚزناوِ چُھ اندہیر دِلس گُل

پونٚپوٗر تہ شمع زانہ، گُلک معنہِ سُہ بُلبُل

IPA:

/own duːrɨ kɨah pərz.naːwɨ t͡ʃʰʊ andɨher dɨ.lɨs gul/

/poːn.puːr tah ʃamʕ zaːnah̆ gulək maːnah̆ suh bul.bul/

Romanisation:

Own dūri kyah parznaav chhʊ andher dilas gul

Ponpūr tɨ shamʕ zāni, gulak mānah suh bulbul

Translation:

What would the blind perceive afar; that hearts in darkness blossom,

The moth and candle know the truth, the nightingale knows it wholesome.

Commentary:

The “blind” are those limited to outer sight, unaware that love flowers within the unseen heart. The moth, candle, and nightingale form a triad of archetypal lovers; the mystic, the Beloved, and the poet of love. Their shared vision is inaccessible to the unawakened eye, for it blossoms only in interior darkness.

چُھکھ پٲنی پانس ژھایہ ژٕ امہِ جایہ ؤتِھتھ گژھ

مو روز نیبرے کَنہِ، خبر بوز اندر اژھ

IPA:

/t͡ʃʰʊkʰ paːnɨ paːnas ʦʰaːyah ʦʰ amahʲ jaːyahʲ woːtʰɨtʰ gə̆ʦʰ/

/moː roːz nɨbreː kɐnahʲ kʰabar boːz andar aʦʰ/

Romanisation:

Chhukh pāni pānas tshāyah ts amah jāyah wothith gʦh

Mo roz nibre kani, khabar boz andar aʦh

Translation:

You hide behind your very self, arise, leave this place,

Stay not outside, heed the call, and seek your inner space.

Commentary:

The poet turns exhorter: the barrier is the self itself. “Leave this place” means abandon the outer shell of ego and enter the inner sanctuary where God resides. The “inner space” is the heart polished through remembrance. The path inward is the true migration of the soul.

اندہار روزُن کارِ عاشق نیست مُنٲسب

مطلوبہٕ سُنٚدے ٹوٹھ غٲلب، تھو چھہ سُہ طٲلب

IPA:

/ɨndʰaːr roːzʊn kaːr-i aːʃɨk niːst mʊnaːsɨb/

/mɨtʰluːbah sʊndʊi ʈoːʈ ɡaːlɨb tʰo t͡ʃʰɨh sʊh taːlɨb/

Romanisation:

Andhār rozun kār-i ‘āshiq nist munɘsib

Matloobah sundʊi toṭh ghālib, tho chhau su tɘlib

Translation:

To dwell in dark befits not those who walk the path of love,

The Beloved's seeker is ever triumphant, he yearns for the veiled alcove.

Commentary:

Here, darkness no longer signifies divine mystery but heedlessness. The true lover must not remain stagnant in ignorance; he is called to pursue the hidden light until the moment of unveiling arrives. The lover’s triumph is not marked by outward display but by a deepening desire to conceal himself within the innermost realms of love.

افسوس کہ باہمتے پروانہٕ کسے نیست

پروانہٕ باشد واین خانہ کسے نیست

IPA:

/ɒfsoːs ke baːhɨmatɨ parwaːnah kɨsɨ niːst/

/parwaːnah baːʃad vaː in kʰaːnah kɨsɨ niːst/

Romanisation:

Afsos keh bā-himate parwānah kase nīst

Parwānah bāshad vā īn khānah kase nīst

Translation:

Alas! No moth of daring soul is anywhere around,

A moth there may indeed exist but none in this house found.

Commentary:

The poet laments the age’s spiritual decay, seekers remain in name only, lacking the courage to burn. The “house” could mean the heart, the world, or the community of lovers. True passion, he implies, has vanished, leaving only imitation. The couplet mourns the absence of ecstatic surrender. The couplet is in Persian.

محموٗد یارس پتہٕ مرُن زان ژٕ عید

من مات من العشق فقد مات شھید

IPA:

/mahmʊːd yaːras patɨ marʊn zaːn ʦʰ ʕiːd/

/man maːta minal ʕiʃq faqad maːta ʃahiːd/

Romanisation:

Mahmūd yāras pattih marun zān tsh Eīd

Man māta minal ishq faqad māta shahīd

Translation:

O Mahmood, deem it Eid to die in pursuit of the Beloved,

For souls that fall to love’s embrace are in martyrdom enveloped.

Commentary:

To die in love is not loss but celebration; Eid, a festival of union. The martyr of love attains eternal life in the Beloved. The last line is in Arabic.

PC: AI Generated