I look for you when I am alone
The only one who felt like home
.
Frantically, my panic has grown
Then I realize –
In everything,
In my very being,
you are shown
.
You are me and I am you
I am not alone
Category: love
Union with the beloved
I am not an expert in Sufism, just a student of it. I once heard an interview of a Sufi Sheikh who said something to the effect of – “All of life is a coping mechanism before we meet the beloved (the creator) again”
To me, this statement hit really deep.
That is why many Sufi songs will refer to God as a lover or beloved. Here is one such beautiful song by a wonderful singer called Romy. The song is called ‘Sanu ik pal chain na aave’ (I cannot be satisfied for even one second). The original was made famous by the legendary Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. Please find the lyrics and translation to the one sung by Romy below :
Lyrics and meaning :
.
Sanu ik pal chain na aave
I can’t find satisfaction even for a second
Sajna tere bina
Without you my love
Dil kamla dub dub jaave
My crazy heart keeps on sinking
Sajna tere bina
Without you my love
Sajna tere bina
Without you my love
.
Raati mein jalava diva
At night I burn the lamp
Hanjua de tel da
With my tears as the oil
Hayyo rabba, sanjana nu
Oh my God, my love –
Chheti kyun ni mel da
Why don’t you meet me quickly
.
Sanu ik pal chain na aave
I can’t find satisfaction even for a second
Sajna tere bina
Without you my love
Dil kamla dub dub jaave
My crazy heart keeps on sinking
Sajna tere bina
Without you my love
Sajna tere bina
Without you my love
Only love remains
What remains after we are dead and gone
Only love
What is true in this world of illusions
Only love
Trauma heals and transmutes into forgiveness
In this lifetime or the next
But when love touches someone
It cannot be undone
It transforms and heals all that is unloved
And only love remains
.
.
.
Park benches which give testimony of such love :
Bittersweet Autumn
Autumn is a season with bittersweet energy – the days get shorter, the air gets chilly, humans get slower, animals migrate or start preparing for hibernation, leaves turn colors and they start emptying the trees. It really is a season of letting go. This makes me think of a beautiful song which reminds me of the energy of Autumn.
The song is called ‘Haminastu’ which means ‘If there is Heaven anywhere, it is here, it is here’. I love the texture of this song, with it’s deep and clear musical beginning which has a soulful rubab playing. It’s hauntingly beautiful happy-sad lyrics are sung beautifully by Zeb Bangash, a talented artist. This is one of music director – Amit Trivedi’s masterpieces. Below is the song and its lyrics and translation.
gar firdaus, barooye zameen ast
haminasto, haminasto
meri jaan rooh dil se baabast
haminasto, haminasto.. (Persian)
If there is paradise on this earth somewhere,
here it is, here it is.
Inhabited by my life, my soul and my heart,
this is the place, here it is.
khaamosh darakhton ke saaye
ye khauf hai soya saa
kuch khoya khoya humne bhi
ye chehra hai roya saa (Urdu)
In the shadows if these silent trees
there is a fear that is hidden
Seems like I have lost something
the face is as if it has cried
murjhate gulon ne jhuk ke kaha
hume aadat hai hamin asto…
chalte lamhon ne ruk ke kaha
inaayat hai hamin asto… (Urdu)
Even the dying flowers bowed and said,
we are used to this.. in this place.
Moving moments stopped and said,
it’s kindness/mercy on us.. in this place.
ye veerane, ye sannaate
ye kya bol rahe hain
aate jaate, aate jaate
ho… (Urdu)
these desolate places, these silences,
what are they saying
as they pass?
panchhi saare ud gaye kahin
bas ghonsley hain haminasto
gar jannat hai zameen pe kaheen
yaheen pe hai haminasto, haminasto.. (Urdu)
all the birds have flown away somewhere,
only the nests remain in this place.
if there is heaven on earth somewhere,
here it is.. here it is..
Picture credit : https://qz.com/india/837702/in-photos-kashmirs-stunning-fiery-and-forlorn-autumn-is-missing-its-tourists-this-year/
I see love
I see love in the twirling leaves
I see love in the dancing breeze
I see love when you make the sky
your paint palette everyday
Some say that you rule by fear
But when I look, I only find love here
Perhaps they misunderstand
the fear is only an ego illusion
When they look closer they will find
in love, their ego dissolution
Divine ecstasy
In your devotion, I sing
In your devotion, I dance
Your devotion is all devouring
Taking all parts of me
And making me new
Making me more like you
Let me be in your ecstasy
Always!
Cloud and the rose
White cloud drifted
Beyond a care in the world
Looked down and noticed
A perfect rose
Prettier than a pearl
What can I do for her
He thought
And idea came to him
Let me melt into water
So I can be useful
Saying that he turned grey
And without an ounce of fear
He melted himself away
To be close to his rose dear
Soon he became one with
His beloved
Because he chose
Love over fear
When I am gone
When my body is dying
And my soul is on its way out
Take me near the trunk of that mighty tree
The one that was my refuge
The one that supported me
Let me lie near my beloved
And let my body rot in the mud
My soul can witness this union
What comes from the Earth,
goes back to the Earth
Let me help my beloved
Thrive a little more
Provide the nutrients
Of my flesh and bones
And when some birds come
To eat my eyes, let them
Let me give back to dear mother nature
For I have lived and only taken
And then when I become one
With the mighty tree
Maybe one day my son will
Pass by below me
Maybe he will touch the mighty tree’s trunk
And feel it’s leaves
Maybe in it, he will feel his mother’s touch
His mother’s love, care and protection
It’s all still there
My Wildflower Man
I met a man once
With a mighty heart
Beautiful smile
And soulful eyes
Why do you not love
Yourself, I thought
In a dark room you
Keep the child locked
So happy to give love
But hesitant to take any
Do you fear being left out again
Have you been betrayed by many?
Is that why the child
doesn’t come to play?
But oh dear man,
Times have changed
Must you always have
The child be a man?
Let him free, love him
For that, will make you a whole man.
Change of perspective
