Shah Inat (part II)

[Gul Agha <agha@CS.UIUC.EDU>]

Dr. Allana's translation of Shah Inat (17th century Sindhi poet) contd.

The stars on the run and they set,
And meet the Beloved yet.
They have come to my courtyard,
Who sing to my heart, like a bard.
When I beheld the Beloved's face,
My wishes were fulfilled with grace.

Hear the rising star speak,
The moon has reached its peak.
It stands there, transfixed in its place,
And tarries to behold the Beloved's face.

Behold the flushes of fire,
Aroused by the Yogis and their ire.
They, in the darkness of the night,
Betook themselves to flight.
How can I of their love speak publicly,
Which to me they entrusted secretly?
Throughout the night I weep,
And in my heart their remembrance keep.

Insatiable is their greed,
Which in their hearts they feed.
They beg from country to country
These Yogis with blankets heavy. [1]
Where others feel uneasy,
There the Yogis rest easy:
Ram, the Lord, they entreat,
As begs the lotus sweet.

"I trust in God," say and repeat,
These words repeat, these words sweet.
Listen the Sayed say "O Sanyasi [2], Learn
to master that mystery..
O yogis, from your heart efface
Scepticism that within yourself you face.
Learn to practise what you preach,
Then from love learn to beseech."

(c) 1983 Institute of Sindhology, Jamshoro

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Moderator's notes:

[1] I am a bit puzzled by this translation.  The Sindhi verses says:

tamaa jii tamami, muura na athani mana men
pinani kiina patta kharnii, godirriyaa gaama

which I would translate as:

A trace of greed
 Not a whit in their hearts
They beg not (for alms)
    travelling through lands,
Wrapped in heavy blankets

[2] Sanyasii is a type of yogi (Sindhi: joggii) who has abandoned the
material world.  (The previous verse uses 'aadesi', meaning without
attachment to a land).