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The transliteration of the Punjabi original. Verses from this poem are frequently sung at nearly every event organised by Sunnis of the Subcontinent but the whole poem rarely. 1. Aj sik mitran di vadheri ay 2. Kyon dilri udaas ghaneri ay? 3. Loon loon vich shauq changeri ay 4. Aj nainaan laiyaan kyon jhariyan? 5. At-t.aifu sara min t.alatihi (1) 6. Wa-shadhdhu bada min wafratihi 7. Fasakartu huna min nadhratihi 8. Nainaan diyan faujan sar chariyan 9. Mukh chand badr shaashani ay 10. Mathay chamakay laaT noorani ay 11. Kali zulf tay akh mastani ay 12. Makhmur akheen hin madh-bhariyaan 13. Do abroo qaws misaal disan 14. Jeen toon nauk e mizha day teer chuTTan 15. Labaan surkh aakhaan ke lal e Yaman 16. ChiTTay dand moti diyan hin lariyaan 17. Is surat noon main jaan aakhan? 18. Jaanan ke jaan e jahaan aakhan? 19. Sach aakhan tay Rabb di shan aakhan 20. Jis shan theen shaanan sab baniyaan (2) 21. Ay surat hai bai-surat theen (3) 22. Baisurat zahir surat theen 23. Bairang dissay is surat theen 24. Vich vahdat puThiyaan jad ghariyaan 25. Dassay surat raah Baisurat da 26. Tauba, raah kii, ain Haqiqat da! 27. Par kam nahin baisoojhat da 28. Koi virliyaan moti lay tariyaan 29. Aihaa surat shaala paish e nazar 30. Rahay vaqt e naza tay Roz e Hashr 31. Vich qabr tay Pul theen hosi guzar 32. Sab khoTiyaan theesan tad khariyaan 33. Yutika Rabbuka daas tussaan (4) 34. Fatard.a theen poori aas asaan

35. Lajpaal karesii paas asaan 36. Wa-shfau tushaffa sahih parhiyaan (5) 37. Laaho mukh toon burd e Yaman 38. Man bhaanvari jhalak dikhao sajan 39. Oha miThiyaan galeen alao miThan 40. Jo Hamra vadi san giriyaan . 41. Hujray toon masjid aao Dholan 42. Noori jhaat day karan saaray sikan! 43. Do jag akhiyaan raah da farsh karan 44. Sab ins o malak hooraan paRiyaan. 45. Inhaan sikdiyaan tay karlaandiyaan tay 46. Lakh vaari sadaqay jaanDiyaan tay 47. Inhaan burdiyaan muft vakaandiyaan tay 48. Shala aavan vit bhii auh ghaRiyaan 49. Subhan Allah! Ma ajmalaka! Ma ahsanaka! Ma akmalaka! (6) 50. Kithay Mihr Ali, kithay teri sanaa, gustaakh akheen kithay jaa aRiyaan.

B: Translation into English verse. I have attempted to translate this masterpieceinadequately, of courseinto English blank verse, each line having 10 syllables. This heroic metre is common in epic English poetry. 1. Today, the longing for my Beloved 2. Is over-powring; whys my heart so sad? 3. Desire, like a flame in every vein. 4. Today, why do my eyes weep floods of tears? 5. His radiant face in a vision I saw . 6. And from his tresses there came a fragrance 7. The sight of such visions caused me to swoon 8. His eyes foot-soldiers overpowered me! 9. His face is bright, a moon at its fullest. 10. A light flashes from his brow; his tresses 11. Are jet black, his gaze intoxicating. 12. His wine-filled eyes cause inebriation! 13. His two eye-brows are like an archers bow 14. Firing arrows of sharpened eye-lashes! 15. Shall I call his lips red or rubies from 16. Yemen? His white teeth are a string of pearls. 17. Shall I call this face life, or the Essence 18. Of Life, or the life of both the worlds? In 19. Truth, I should call it Gods greatest glory

20. From which He created His creation! 21. This face is really from the Faceless One ; 22. The Faceless One manifests through this face. 23. The Formless One has been seen through this face 24. Ever since Unity blossomed into 25. Diversity. This face shows the way to the 26. Faceless. Nay, not the way, the Essence too! 27. Yet this secret is not for the common; 28. Just the Elect may discover this pearl! 29. By God! May this face stay before my eyes 30. At the time of Death and on Judgement Day! 31. In my grave and when Im crossing the Bridge. 32. Then alone shall the fake become pure gold! 33. Your rank is: Thy Lord shall give thee and we 34. Place our hopes in, So thou art well-pleased . 35. This test we shall pass as the Gracious said: 36. Intercede and thy intercession shall 37. Be accepted! Remove thy Yemeni 38. Cloak and grant me a glimpse of your lovely 39. Face, my love! Repeat again those sweet words 40. Which you spake in the valley of Hamra. 41. Come from your cell to the mosque, Beloved! 42. All yearn for your radiant countenance! 43. Both the worlds furnish thy way with their eyes 44. All men, angels, houris, and faerie-folk. 45. For all these yearning and pining ones; for 46. Those dying to sacrifice themselves in your 47 Love; and all those ready to be your thralls 48. May those moments of bliss return again! 49. Praise God! Youre most Beauteous! Excllent! Perfect! 50. How dare Mihr Ali gaze at you, sing your hymns! C Brief Notes (1) This line and the next two lines (lines 5 to 7) are in Arabic and are quoted verbatim by the Shaykh from Imam Busiris famous poem Qasida Burda (The Poem of the Cloak). (2) This line (20) is a reference to the famous hadith qudsi, Lawlaka, lawlaka, ma khalaqtul aflaka! (But for thee, but for thee, I wouldnt have created the Heavens). (3) Lines 21 to 28 are very difficult being the Shaykhs exposition of Shaykh al Akbar Muhyuddin Ibn Arabis concept of Wahdat al Wajood (Unity of Being) into Punjabi poetry whereby the Prophet is described in terms of the Perfect Man and the perfect manifestation of Allahs Attributes in this world. Shaykh Pir Sayyid Mihr Ali Shah was acknowledged as the foremost expert on Ibn Arabi in his era. Scholars of the calibre of Dr. Sir Muhammad Iqbal wrote to him about wahdat al wajood. As the Shaykh

himself says in line 28, this is not for the simpleton or the common person! (4) A reference to Quran 43:5 in this line and line 34 immediately following it. (5) Another hadith qudsi. (6) These last two lines (49 and 50) are the most famous of the poem. Line 49 is entirely in Arabic. The Shaykh uses the Arabic tense with the prefix ma (used, amongst other things, to denote astonishment) to express his awe and wonderment at the Prophets beauty, which he saw in a waking vision. There are numerous recordings, both in the studio and live, of this naat (nearly always abridged) but my personal favourite is this live version by Muhammad Owais Qadri: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c11xL61mGzk