91. Maayi chaani raevim: Nyama Saeb

Background:

According to Prof. Mehfooza Jan, Nyama Soab was known for his deep spiritual devotion, often practicing in solitude within caves. During these periods of retreat, he remained entirely detached from worldly affairs, including matters concerning his own family. Upon emerging from one such seclusion, he was confronted with the tragic news of his child’s death. In his grief, he is said to have recited this poem. However, a closer reading reveals that many of its stanzas also express the intensity of divine love, suggesting a profound union of human sorrow and spiritual longing.

Note:

Words that I felt should be translated separately have been marked BOLD in both Kashmiri as well as their corresponding English meaning.

نعمہ صٲب

مایہ چانہ رٲوِٕم راتھ دوہ

ہو ہو بہٕ کریو یوٗرۍ وَلو

شایہ چانہ رٲوِٕم راتھ دوہ

ہو ہو بہٕ کریو یوٗرۍ وَلو

IPA:

/maːjɨ̆ t͡ʃaːnɨ ɾɛːvɨm raːtʰ doh/

/hoː hoː bɛ̆h̆ karːe joː juːɾɨ valʊ̆/

/ʃaːjɨ̆ t͡ʃaːnɨ ɾɛːvɨm raːtʰ doh/

/hoː hoː bɛ̆h̆ karːe joː juːɾɨ valʊ̆/

Romanisation:

Māyə chāni raevim rāth doh

Ho ho beh̆ karre-yo yūrĭ valū

Shāyə chāni raevim rāth doh

Ho ho beh̆ karre-yo yūrĭ valū

Translation:

Lost my days and nights in your affection,

Come, let me fondle you, come to my direction.

Lost my days and nights in your domain,

Come, let me fondle you, come once again.

Commentary:

In light of Prof. Mehfooza Jan’s account, this stanza can be understood as an expression of Nyama Soab’s deep spiritual longing during his period of grief, which transcends the personal and moves into the realm of divine love.

His response to the tragedy, though outwardly one of grief for his lost child, took the form of mystical lamentation.

The lamentation can be seen as both a cry of a bereaved father and that of a seeker calling to the Divine Beloved.

ہٲری ونکھ نا طوطہسےٕ

کیاہ عؠلاج کرِ نا موتسےٕ

ژٔٹہ نم شرٚونہِ دار پنجرو

ہو ہو بہٕ کریو یوٗرۍ وَلو

IPA:

/haːɾɨ vanɨx na toː.a.ta.sɨj/

/kjah ɪlaːd͡ʒ kɨɾɨ naː moː.a.ta.sɨj/

/ʦʰəʈ nam ʃɨɾonɨ daːɾ pãɟɨɾʊ̆/

/hoː hoː bə̆ karːe joː joːɾɨ valoː/

Romanisation:

Hāri vanakh na toatasiy

Kyah ilāj karinā moatasiy

ʦhaṭ nam shrūnih dār panjaro

Ho ho beh karre-yo yōri valo

Translation:

O mynah, tell the parrot, pray,

Seek some cure for death, I say.

My jewelled cage is torn apart,

Come, let me fondle you, my heart.

Commentary:

In this stanza, the mynah is portrayed as a messenger to the parrot, a symbolic intermediary between the human and the spiritual realms. In Sufi symbolism, the parrot represents the seeker of immortality, the soul in quest of eternal life and divine truth. By addressing the parrot through the mynah, the poet invokes the dialogue between the yearning heart and the enlightened soul. The plea to “find a cure for death” reflects not merely grief over physical loss but the deeper Sufi longing to transcend mortality through union with the Divine. The caparisoned cage, a beautifully adorned yet fragile frame, symbolises the human body, now torn by the blow of death. Thus, the stanza captures both the poet’s personal sorrow and his metaphysical realisation that worldly beauty and life itself are transient, and only through spiritual awakening can one approach the eternal.

اتھ ڈؠکس ہران چِھہ ژے سۄن

گیسو اویزان ہیرِ بۄن

شہمار زن لگٕمٕتی درو

ہو ہو بہٕ کریو یوٗرۍ وَلو

IPA:

/ətʰ dɛkas haran t͡ʃʰɨ ʦe son/

/gesu aweːzaːn hĕri bon/

/ʃahmaːr zan lagɨmɨti daro/

/ho ho bə̆h karːe joː juːri walo/

Romanisation:

ath dekas haran chhi tse son

gesu awezaan herri bon

shahmār zan lagimiti daro

ho ho bah karre-yo yoori walo

Translation:

Your forehead radiates like gold,

Your tresses fall in rippling fold.

Like royal serpents still they lie,

Come, let me fondle you, draw nigh.

Explanation:

In this stanza,the poet shifts from grief to a vision of divine beauty expressed through striking imagery. The “forehead radiating gold” represents the radiance of divine illumination that emanates from the Beloved. The tresses that dangle like royal serpents adds to this beauty. This imagery reflects poet’s transition from worldly sorrow to spiritual contemplation, where the pain of separation transforms into a vision of the Beloved’s eternal beauty.

درۍیاو تران ییر گوس

منز سر خۄدایا گیر گوس

بۄٹھ لاگتم پیرِ رہبرو

ہو ہو بہٕ کریو یوٗرۍ وَلو

IPA:

/darɨjaːw taraːn yiːr gos/

/mand͡z sar xʊdaːjaː giːr gos/

/boʈʰ laːgtɨm peːri rahbaro/

/ho ho bə̆h karːe joː juːri walo/

Romanisation:

dariyaaw taraan yeer gos

manz sar khodaya geer gos

both laagtym peer-e rahbaro

ho ho bah karre-yo yoori walo

Translation:

I drowned while crossing the river deep,

In the lake’s midst, my grief did steep.

O guiding light, bring me to shore,

Come, let me fondle you once more.

Explanation:

In this stanza, Nyama Soab employs the imagery of water to express the soul’s struggle in the spiritual journey. The act of “crossing the river” symbolises the seeker’s passage through the turbulent stream of worldly existence towards divine truth. Drowning and onset of grief in the lake’s midst reflects the state of spiritual exhaustion and helplessness when the seeker, overwhelmed by the trials of love and detachment, momentarily loses sight of the goal. The plea, of being led to shore is an invocation to the spiritual master, the source of guidance that rescues the seeker from the depths of despair and leads them towards union and clarity. However, beneath this grief lies a Sufi realisation: that only through surrender and divine guidance can the soul reach the shore of peace and spiritual fulfilment.

یس أندرٕ تۄندرس نار تتے

متہ کونہ آکھ یارٕ سنزٕ وتے

مل خاک رویس مو بہ مو

ہو ہو بہٕ کریو یوٗرۍ وَلو

IPA:

/jɪs ɒndɨr tondɨras naːr tɒtĕ/

/mata kona aːkh jaːrɨ sinz vɒtĕ/

/mal xaːk rojɨs mo ba mo/

/ho ho bə̆h karːe joː juːri wɒlo/

Romanisation:

yes andre tondɨras nar tatye

mata kona aakh yarɨ sinz vatye

mal khaak rojɨs mo ba mo

ho ho bah karre-yo yoori walo

Translation:

Whose oven within is set aflame,

Beloved, why came you not the lover’s lane?

I’ll soil my face, each hair with dust,

Let me fondle you, come close, I must.

Explanation:

In this stanza, the poet conveys the burning anguish of divine separation through the image of an inner oven set aflame. The fire symbolises the intensity of longing that consumes the seeker’s heart in the absence of the Beloved. The poet’s address to the Beloved for not coming through the lover’s lane expresses the pain of spiritual distance, where the soul yearns for even a glimpse of divine presence. The act of soiling his face with dust signifies the poet’s self-claimed pauperisation in beloved's realm of attention. This verse reflects Nyama Soab’s state of spiritual torment following worldly loss, yet also his realisation that such pain is itself a step toward divine union, for through suffering, the heart is cleansed and made ready for the Eternal.

سِر گژھی باوُن زانہ سٕے

نتہ کیا ونُن غٲر زانہ سےٕ

سِر باج لگۓ پیرِ رہبرو 

ہو ہو بہٕ کریو یوٗرۍ وَلو

IPA:

/sir gʦʰɨ baːwun zaːna sɨjh/

/natɨ̆ kyaː wanun ɣɒːr zaːna sɨjh/

/sir baːd͡ʒ lagʲɨ̆ pirɨ rahbaro/

/ho ho bə̆h karːe joː juːri wɒlo/

Romanisation

sir gtsʰɨ bawun zaanah siyh

natɨ kya wanun ghār zaanah siyh

sir baaj lagai peerɨ rahbaro

ho ho bah karre-yo yoori walo

Translation:

Reveal the secret to one who knows,

Else why waste it where no insight grows.

My keeper of secrets, myself I bestow, O guide,

Let me fondle you, come nigh, come to my side.

Explanation:

In this stanza, Nyama Soab reflects on the Sufi principle that divine truth should be shared only with those spiritually prepared to receive it. The secret represents the inner knowledge of divine reality, which cannot be grasped through intellect alone but through spiritual insight and purification of the heart. To reveal it to one who lacks such awareness would be fruitless, as divine mysteries can only be understood by those who have journeyed beyond the limits of self. The poet then turns inward, addressing the “sharer of secrets,” symbolising the spiritual guide, to whom he offers complete surrender. By bestowing himself, he expresses the ultimate act of surrender.

موستوٗر ٲسٕس پتھ ونن

کوستٗورِ گۄ نا زانہہ کنن

ژھاران بہٕ لوٗسٕس کوه بہ کوه

ہو ہو بہٕ کریو یوٗرۍ وَلو

IPA:

/mʊstuːr ɒsɨs patʰ wɨnɨn/

/kʊstuːrɨ go naː zaːnah kɨnɨn/

/ʦʰaːraːn bə̆h luːsɨs koh bə koh/

/ho ho bə̆h karːe joː juːri wɒlo/

Romanisation:

mustoor ɒsɨs patʰ wanan

kustoorɨ go naa zaanah kinɨn

tsʰaraan bah loosɨs koh bah koh

ho ho bah karre-yo yoori walo

Translation:

Concealed I was behind the wood,

Heard not the thrush, though calling it should.

Weary I grew from peak to peak,

Let me fondle you, come as I seek.

Commentary:

In this stanza, Nyama Soab portrays the anguish of unreciprocated devotion through rich symbolic imagery. His concealment in the woods signifies the mystic’s act of performing remembrance and worship in secrecy, away from worldly eyes, wholly absorbed in divine love. The whistling thrush represents the Beloved, whose indifference reflects the Divine’s silence despite the lover’s ceaseless devotion. The poet laments that his calls have gone unheard, expressing the deep pain of spiritual distance that often tests the seeker’s faith. The hills may symbolise the mystic’s shoulders, for in moments of intense remembrance, the lover’s head moves from one side to another in trance or longing, an embodied rhythm of yearning. However, beneath this indifference lies the endurance of love that continues to call even when the Beloved seems beyond reach.

تاراج ہا کۄرنم دلس

یُتھ گُل کران نۓ بُلبُلس

ہوٗل گوم جگرس سۄمبلو

ہو ہو بہٕ کریو یوٗرۍ وَلو

IPA:

/taːraːd͡ʒ haː koːrɨnəm dɨlas/

/jʊtʰ gʊl karaːnə̆y bʊlbʊlas/

/huːl goːm d͡ʒɪgras sɒːmbʊlo/

/ho ho bə̆h karːe joː juːri wɒlo/

Romanisation:

tārāj hā kōrinam dilas

yuth gul karānə̆y bulbūlas

hūl gōm jigras sombulo

ho ho bah karre-yo yūri walo

Translation:

You plundered the calm of my heart,

As flowers enchant the nightingale apart.

My heart grew fearful, O hyacinth fair,

Let me fondle you, come to my care.

Commentary:

In this stanza, Nyama Soab expresses the overwhelming power of divine love. The plundering of the heart symbolises the annihilating force of divine attraction that seizes the lover’s peace, leaving him restless and consumed by longing. The image of flowers enchanting the nightingale mirrors the irresistible pull of divine beauty, where the lover, like the nightingale, is captivated and made helpless before the splendour of the Beloved. The poet’s heart grows fearful not out of dread, but out of reverence for the overwhelming majesty of the Beloved addressed as Hyacinth here.

یا گژھہ ترٚامس سۄن بنُن

نتہٕ کیاہ چِھہ نعمو نۆن ونُن

لویتھم عَشقُن خنجرو

ہو ہو بہٕ کریو یوٗرۍ وَلو

IPA:

/jaː ɡʦʱɨ tramɨs soːn banun/

/naːtɨ kʲaː t͡ʃʰɨ Nyamo noːn wanun/

/lojitʰɨm ʔʃqun xənd͡ʒɨroː/

/ho ho bə̆h karːe joː juːri wɒlo/

Romanisation

yā gʦhi tramas sōn banun

natte kya chhi Nyamo nōn wanun

loyitham ashqun khanjaro

ho ho bah karre-yo yūri walo

Translation:

Either base(copper) shall turn to gold,

Or why the secret, O Nyamo, be ever told.

You struck me deep with passion’s knife,

Let me fondle you, come to my life.

Commentary:

In this stanza, Nyama Soab invokes the alchemical symbolism often found in Sufi poetry. The “base, that is, copper” transforming into gold signifies the elevation of the human soul through divine love, from its ordinary material state to one of spiritual refinement and purity. The poet questions the purpose of revealing the divine secret if such transformation is not to occur. Yet, since the Beloved has already thrust the dagger of love into his heart, he yearns for union with the Divine, to fondle and draw near, seeking to become gold from base metal.

Link to the sung version:

https://youtu.be/69Mi-VdMx5A?si=kUPlpDrivuSCZaDU

It is best sung by Rashid Jehangir. No other singer comes close. However, not all stanzas have been rendered there.