Poetry
Heer Ranjha:
The Epic Love-poem by Bulley Shah
Translated from Punjabi by FAZEEL AZEEZ CHAUHAN
Going to Mecca is not the ultimate
Even if hundreds of prayers are offered
Going to River Ganges is not the ultimate
Even if hundreds of cleansings are done
Going to Gaya is not the ultimate
Even if hundreds of worships are done
Bulleh Shah, the ultimate is
When the “I” is removed from the heart
[He] read a lot and became a scholar
But [he] never read himself
[He] enters the temple and the mosque
But [he] never entered into his own heart
He fights with the devil every day for nothing
He never wrestled with his own ego
Bulleh Shah, he grabs for heavenly flying things
But doesn’t grasp the one who’s sitting at home
Religious scholars stay awake at night
But dogs too stay awake at night, higher than you
They don’t cease from barking at night
Then they sleep in yards, all higher than yours
They [dogs] don’t leave the beloved’s doorstep
Even if they’re beaten hundreds of times, higher than you
Bulleh Shah, get up and make up with the beloved
Otherwise dogs will win the contest, better than you
O friends, don’t call Ranjha a shepherd
I shy away from calling him one
I am like a thousand Heers to him
Who am I, like countless others
He’s the ruler of Hazara’s throne
And I forever the plain Heer
Bulleh Shah, may God hear my wail
That I become shepherded by the Shepherd
Ranjha became a jogi and arrived
He exchanged into a unique disguise
He changed his name from Ahad to Ahmad
I’m going to be with Jogi
Someone’s with someone else, this one’s with that one
I’m together with Jogi
Since I have become Jogi’s
I have no “I” left in me
Repeating ‘Ranjha Ranjha’
I became Ranjha
Call me Ranjha now
No one need call me Heer any more
It’s not me, it’s he himself
He amuses his own self
The one with whom I connected my heart
I became just like him, O friends
Jogi is with me
I am with Jogi
I’m together with Jogi
After putting earrings in my ears
Decorating my forehead with Tilak
Hey, he’s not [a] jogi
He’s some form of God
He’s disguised as Jogi
This jogi has attracted me
This jogi now resides in my heart
I swear by the Quran it’s true
Jogi is my belief and faith
This jogi has marked me
Hey, I belong to him
Now I’m of no value to all else
I’m floating, I’ve drifted across, O people
My eyes inter-meshed with Jogi’s, O people
Call me Jogi’s female Jogi
Heer is dead, O people
In Khayrray they talk
I have to listen to accusations
I don’t know anything about anyone else
If I know anything, I only know Jogi
No one has attained what he has attained
His shadow is on both worlds
His fame is celebrated in both worlds
His shoes were kissed by heaven
This Jogi is full of wonders
In his hand is the rosary of “There is Nothing But One God”
Hey, his name is “The One With The Shawl”
If Jogi comes to my home
All your fights will end
I will embrace him
And celebrate a million praises
Bulleh Shah, a Jogi came
To our door …
He stole away Heer of Sayal
He came in disguise
For a new musical rendition of a selection of the original verses, please CLICK here.
[Courtesy: Qausain. Edited for sikhchic.com]
October 22, 2013