Roop dekhilam re noyone
Aaponar roop dekhilam re
Amar majh to bahir hoyiya
Dekha dile aamare
I saw my own reflection
In your eyes.
You revealed yourself to me
By emerging from within me.
The reason I mentioned context in the beginning of the post is that once I read facts about Hason Raja’s life, I was nearly bowled over. His songs reflected a Sufi-inspired minstrel who spent his life celebrating the oneness of all creation and seeing the divine in everything. On reading his life story, I found the reverse was true, at least as far as his youth was concerned. Like most members of the affluent class, he spent his youth in the company of dancing women, financial and material indulgence and with symbols associated with the hereditary rich of 19th-century India (Bengal was still a part of undivided India at the time). In his later life, however, he turned away from the material way of life and became mystically inclined. He wrote hundreds of songs using simple language, most of which underscore the undivided nature of all life—an idea that seems increasingly relevant and important.
“Tumi ke aar ami ba ke
tai to ami bujhi naa re.
Eke bina dwitio ami
Onyo kichhu dekhi naa re.”
I cannot fathom
Who you are and who I am.
I fail to see
Any second thing apart from the One.
To listen to the first song referred to in this post, visit this link.
Beautiful poetry. It didn’t make as much sense until you explained his belief in oneness.
It’s amazing isn’t it,Bhas how just in the arts alone, there exists a world of mystery and spectacular challenge.And then we all share our bits of magic with the other. Enjoyed this read. 🙂
As salaam alaikum.Nice blog.I write poems, essays, short fiction and articles for a largely Muslim audience. Please come by when you have time to read.Wa salaama,nuh
Scott, I know what you mean. These words are so simple, they sometimes seem senseless. My inept translation doesn’t make things much better either. :PSusan, you always manage to express yourself so eloquently, even if it is in a small blog comment. Glad to share. :)Nuh, Alaikum salaam. Thanks for visiting At Home, Writing and giving me the chance to discover your wonderful blog. I am adding it to my blogroll and hope to visit often. It’s definitely of great interest to me.