Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Forbidden Thoughts: "Lord My Beloved" by Ghani Baba

Ahhhhhhhh!!! The forbidden thoughts and fantasies verbalized! That Ghani would do that, wouldn't he :D
This poem is simply too good for words! Sam zrra me khushala shee che da Ghani Baba leek wenam. Sharam hum raazi lag lag, LOL! How can one ever get such strength, such boldness to speak his thoughts this openly?! May he rest in peace and be blessed with the "eternal youth" the concept of which raised a million questions in his beautiful Ghani-like mind (if he changes his mind about not wanting it, that is ;)! lol).
Pukhtuns should never forget him. He was a hero! May he live forever, aameen.

More of his poetry can be found at this link. (EDIT - July 2012: This poem is a rough English translation, albeit done very beautifully!) of Ghani's Pashto poem "Che masti we ao zwani," which can be heard here.)

Lord My Beloved!

Would there be elation and youth, the beloved and a chalice full;
Several flowers and a few friends in a mellow evening.
Passion be light and fire, and the heart a flaming tandoor;
I would gladly give up your heavens to embrace such a life.

I’d far prefer this gain because no color is at rest;
Each moment, each hue of life, is your time’s helpless slave;
And the mullah says, in paradise, time would be my slave –
If he were somehow undone, all my troubles would end.

If I find eternal youth, it would become a curse;
I cherish it now as its beauty is soon consumed.
An eternally full moon, an eternal sweet sixteen,
Eternal youth, a river of wine, is it a reward or hell?
I’d weep after this world, and yearn for the night’s crescent,
And remember everyday, the thin mist of eventide.

Sick of faithful houris, I’d seek a fickle beloved;
Man is a hunter by nature, and revels in hunting.
I would fast on revelry’s riverside,
And sulk after the cupbearer’s half-full chalice.

Anything eternal becomes a curse and a catastrophe;
It suits only you, this eternal beginning and end.
Man seeks in each new palace a new beloved;
Seeks red flowers in a wasteland, seeks lighting at night;
He is the child of change and cannot stay the same.
If you took him to heaven, this nature and this being,
He’ll soon be searing and weeping with sore eyes.

lord of great bestowal, turn this world into heaven!
The formula is simple, comprising these three things –
As I’ve said before, a beloved, youth, and a chalice,
So that my silly head is amused from time to time;
And after this worldly death, endow me to the Mullah,
If the wretch would be appeased by mere dreams of houris.

Give me a houri here – lively, full, and fair –
A loving white candle, which burns and flames
In her glance myriad colors; in her nature myriad moods;
With manners such as spring – now sunshine, now rain;
Would she be under one skin, a harem of women;
Now brimming and vivacious, now quiet and retiring;
And in my tired heart, kindle restive flames,
Blazing like fire and dancing like a rill,
And with one impatient glance, intoxicate me so
As to leave everyone amazed and the cupbearer envious.

In place of those thousands give me one here;
Turn my eternal youth to a few years’ rejoicing;
If you cannot do this, lord, keep your fat houris;
I neither need them there nor miss them here.

Those fat and fair ones who yield without entreaty;
Wide and hungry eyes, wallowing in malmal.
Lord! My beloved lord! Just grant this one prayer,
Or else, your Ghani would pine away in love.

- Ghani Khan

23 comments:

  1. Kha da no da dey comment section pranista bya pa ma da zama pa khyal?...Spogmai wey no kedae shee lagey khkulee khabarey ye likalay wae :)
    Well first of all THANKS for sharing with us this nice english version of Ghani Khan's "Che Masti Wee ao Zwanee Wee".....kho zama pa khyal koom khwand che ye pa Pakhto ke dae sa oowaim ka dey key hagha wee kho still you worth the praise for introducing the poetry of that great and iconic Pashto writer.......very well written......ao sanga che Sardar Ali Takkar Pukhtana da Ghani Khan da shairee da khwand sara ashna karree, keday shee staso dasey effort dwee pa non-Pakhtoons opejanee.

    Ghani Khan, cha che dasey rangeena shairee likaley ao yao khpal muqam ye dae, hasey fikar kome che sanga rangeen wakht ba ye teer karrey wee :)........Allah de sara zamunga oobakhee zaka che insaan dher ajaza dey ao uss hagha zamung na da duagano talabgaar dae.

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  2. LOL! Wo, oss comments leekla pa taa bande paraz shu, lol. Starting them, anyway, hahaha.

    Mara, translations kho original script taba kawee, kho nor sa wakoo. It's still great! (I haven't read the Pukhto version of it yet.)

    Da Ghani me a "Mula Jaan Waye Azal ke" der khwakh shee! Hai Alllaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!! And the one that begins with "Saaqe stargo ke muskey shwa" (wai "ey Mulaa taa sakalee na dee" LOL). Da khanda na warta shna prata yam kala he ye wuram :D
    And they go SO well with Takkar! Khudey de Takkar jamdey laree!

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  3. This one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdB47kemTyg

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  4. Da sa wae??????...........u haven't heard the Pukhto version of this famous "Che Mastee Wee ao Zwanee Wee" yet???.......come on you should listen to it right now, its one of Takkar's jewels.
    I would have written down the whole poem in Pukhto for you here kho...at the moment I'm so busy and tangled up at work.....deadlines mey pa sar lapasa prata dee :(

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  5. What! Maybe I have ...
    Give me the link to it.

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  6. Oh, okay. In that case, wass za khpal kaar waka bya che kala wazgaar she raeka. Hess khabara na da.

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  7. Tole rata pa yaado yaad dae kho.....anways enjoy through the following link:

    http://www.pashtomp3.com/r-sardar-ali-takkar-123-chi-mastee-we-ao-janan-we-797.htm

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  8. Ohhhhhhh my Goddddd!!! :D:D:D:D:D

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  9. Miao.....warro pashey sha wa nawayai....spogmai yam kha

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  10. LOL!! :D:D:D Ohhhh my GODDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD!!!!! She is BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  11. "Miao....warro pashey sha wa nawayai....spogmai yam kha"

    LOLLL!!.........Da sa awram :).....da kho laka che pa rikhtya pisho wa ka??.......starey mashey!..:)

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  12. Che spongmai hum sa awaz ghunte kawaley, nu kha ba wa! lol.
    "Bao!" zama dey, "miaow" da Spogmai sho :D

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  13. Hagha zama pa khyal zamung da comments na hasey tash khwandoona akhlee ao pa khapla da dagha "one liners" na ilawa hiss na likee :).......I know, lagya ba wee keday shee khpal khyaloona bya da qalam pa hawala krree.......dasey tash pa miao miao ba na khlasegee :D

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  14. LOL! Kanaaaa! Zama mange shayree ba leeke, ao blog la ba yawa hapta wrusta raashi ao ila bila "Miao" ba wakee!
    Hmph!

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  15. @Qrratugai: LOL! Kanaaaa! Zama mange shayree ba leeke, ao blog la ba yawa hapta wrusta raashi ao ila bila "Miao" ba wakee!"

    Da cha mange shairee ba leeke?...da khabara rabande dooooomra khwaga walageda che wayma bya de wakrrey! lol. Na marrey, sta pa shaan hunar da cha zda!
    I was at the moment numb and "Miao" easily disguised what I was feeling. It was hard--so very, very hard!--to think of being separated from these very dear ones, who seem like an integral part of my very life, hard to imagine living somewhere without them. I thank Allah for letting me get through it.

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  16. LOL! QUOTE: "Da cha mange shairee ba leeke?..."

    hahahaha ... :p Kha, che bya ye oweim baare: Zama mange shairee ba likey ao! lollll

    Za kha da che wapas raghley :) I'd decided to protest your going by NOT writing my own posts anymore :D Now that you're back, I'll get back at it!
    Loya khaza she. Saa me na sho aghistey.

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  17. ^..I really have no clue what to make of it?.....kho buss duaganey mo dee che Allah dey mung tole khushala satee ao mung ta dey da jawand hara sakhta asana krree (Ameen)!

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  18. deraaaaa muda pas salamunaa...(ma ma shmera dargad shum)

    senga chal de qratungai,khogman au miyao myao spogami....za kho yau hafte la bangkok ta tale o for a training,,paron da shpe ralam au bangkok me enjoy ko..ajeeba watan de ajeeba halak e de,,khaze e karona kae au saree ye paise shmare..totaly female dominated society....

    kha..nu da ghani khan nazam ''janat au dunia'' der kha translate shawe..kho che da cha kare sheh naz????der kha e kare...kho pukhto kho e biyala maza da kana...Ghani khan iz a bold mystic poet,,he dared to ask,complain anything he felt towards God,but this iz sure that his beloved iz God(Khodai ta janan wae no)if we compare rest msytic poets like Rehman baba etc we find that some fear factor with traditional concience in there but in ghani mysticism no fear just dare and dear...this is his uniqueness.He created his own way in pukhto poetry....like he says somewhere ''za kho ghag kawale na sham,pa gelo ta khafa kege,kho haqa da da loya Khodaya ,ta pa toqo na poege''
    This was Ghani khan who dared to challenge the stronghold of mulla status in our society with very bold and realistic manner so many years ago...In todays scenario we realize tht ghani khan said true about Mulla..We all alo know that the ultimate net result of mullaism iz Taalibaan..the illegal begotton sons of the mulla phenomena....The poem translated depicts the unstable and changible psyche of human.How can we live with same changible psyche in jannat where all things will be permanant in nature..''da bachay da taghyyor de,yau halat ke na tengege,,ka da sta janat la yause ,,da fitrat au da wajood ,,yau so wrazo k ba jaree etc etc''
    This was the dream of ghani khan to kick out mulla from pukhtoon society,(the same i feel)..At the same time ghani khan miss his freinds company,world's beauty and half filled wine glass ''da mastai da seend pa ghara,,sawabi roje ba nesam,,asweli ba kom yadom ba,,da saqi nemgare jaam''..i loved these couplets....it stir my inner....
    da ghani khan bara ke der sa wele she..hagha yau samadar de au mung e pa gaara nast you..

    ........kha dlta kho mehfal garam de,,gape daze shoro de,,,peshogaan hm paki de..lol.....
    kho che kala hm goro nu da shenaaz blog rangona badlaee...sam da bodai taal de...kho kha da wraz pa wraz nawe andaaz kha lagee....

    spogami kho bekhe doba shawe,,hes pata e na lagee,,da kha da che pa khogman,dardman bandi mehfil garam de....zalimano facebook kho mo rata bekhe shaar kare de....

    zama janana kemia gar janana,,hum de krm khaore hum sra zar janana...ta raqebaan ma taalibaan na prede,,ta shwe Kabal za Pekhawar janana..

    tol khushala osai...
    yau container manana :):)

    nawaz

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  19. Bya darta pa khairuno waim, Nawaz! Staray ma she!

    LMAO @ "yao container manana" =)) hahahaha!!! Za waim che yao taaley manana baare, lol. :D

    QUOTING: "bangkok me enjoy ko..ajeeba watan de ajeeba halak e de,,khaze e karona kae au saree ye paise shmare..totaly female dominated society...."

    LOL! Seriously? I had no idea about that. Something worth studying. I wonder how long it's been going on and whether the women choose it and how they feel about it and what the men's role in the society is then. Interesting, eh.

    QUOTING: "Ghani khan iz a bold mystic poet,,he dared to ask,complain anything he felt towards God,but this iz sure that his beloved iz God"

    Nawaz, I completely agree. I think that only someone who has truly UNDERSTOOD the mere essence of an all-powerful, eternal, omniscient Being, someone who has understood the divinity of the Creator can dare say what Ghani Baba said. I love his relationship with God; I envy it, in fact. How does one get that close to such a *feared*, such a Powerful Being? How can one try to find God in the foggy world of mullahs and other crazed people who are accepted as our much-revered "leaders"? But Ghani did it! Ghani found that love. And it's only after one finds God that he can understand Him, and only after understanding God can one genuinely appreciate Him.

    He openly joked with God; He openly expressed his questions about God and fate and everything else that comes with Islam. How can anyone do that unless and except he's over 100% sure that it is okay to do so? And how does one gain the confidence to be sure that it's okay?
    Yet, Ghani knew he could do it, and he did it -- without ever expressing regrets for his thoughts and views.

    Khwdey dee ubakhee.

    Nor, mara, FB ase ghaley ghaley shawey wo jo mung prekhaudo. Za kho warla hado zam hum na wass ... charta pa hapta ke ba warla yao waar laara sham no. Nor na.
    Taso kho mazey wakrre khaista khaista zeguno ta zai. Mung pa haghe yao khaar ke naast yu, under tall buildings and dull, starless skies, suffocated to death! ... Swat ta me intizar dey che kala ba raata awaz kai che rasha, Qrratugai! Kor darta naarewai...

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  20. @Qrratugai:"Taso kho mazey wakrre khaista khaista zaguno ta zai. Mung pa haghe yao khaar ke naast yu, under tall buildings and dull, starless skies, suffocated to death!....."

    Qrratugai~ Da sa wayai? Zama kho da khyal wo ganee yawa khpa ba mo da 'Stone Mountain' da yaw sar wee aw bala khpa da bal sar aw khejai kuzegai ba trey che kala darta hum tame milawegee....lolz

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  21. my contribution.
    http://imadkhan.deviantart.com/art/Lord-My-Beloved-171647360

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Dare to opine :)

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