From: memon@acsu.buffalo.edu (Naveed Siraj Memon)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.pakistan
Subject: Re Feminist Sufism :) and much more
Date: 12 Apr 92 06:47:35 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: UB

From: anajam@athena.mit.edu (ADIL NAJAM)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.pakistan
Subject: The first feminists.........Sufi Poetry.......

>to women rights to carefully read Naveed Memon's post (No. 19206) under the
>subject heading:  Re (was maindki ko zukam) (is: i have no clue)......I am
>sure that you would not only uncover important new threats but may find a rich
>and valuable source of clearing may controversies and debates.

Moi, providing rich and valuable source? I think not. I read my article that
you refered to. A lot of psychobabble :)  But seriously I am still thinking 
about what I said and I am amazed at the way it came out. You have to believe
me when I say that it came to me only as I wrote it. Well so much for parellel
thought processes :)  I did not realise that the discussion about the
social correctness of 'bachis' would lead to the conclusion that they in turn
carry the torch.





>While I intend to continue the thought chain that Naveed has initiated in some
>detail but for the time being just a few thoughts......Naveed has very rightly
>pointed out how the woman is real searcher of truth in most sufi poetry and all
>great folk tales. May it be Heer-Ranjha, Sassi-Punoh, Sohni-Mahivall or Noori-Jam
>Tamachi,it is the woman who emerges as the cutting edge in the search of truth.
>........Naveed, do you think Laila-Mujno also fits the trend, I am not really
>sure if it does, though it seems to me that Romeo Juliet does fit the bill.....

I am trying to think how the story of laila majnoN ends. Did'nt MajnoN  
become part of the desert waiting for laila's caravan to return? And by the
time she returned he did not have too long to live. So they Unite but only 
for forever by ending their lives in the desert at the spot where laila finds
Him. So if I let my crazy mind thinking then MajnoN is the Truth and laila 
It's seeker. Same holds for Romeo Juliet.

cannot find the exact verse but from Sur Sohni, Shah sings aloud,

     Sahar, Sohni and the Sea inseparably One



/* Sahar is Mahival/Mayhaar */

>Given this view (as explained in detail by Naveed, and as is clear to most
>followers of the intrinsic philosophy of these great messages), my long held
>feeling that fact Bulleh Shah, Ghulam Farid, Waris Shah and Abdul Latif Bhitai

If you want to use a word for them then maybe 'feminists' is one. But using 
this word may drag us into the debate of justifying positive contribution to
improving the life of of women in general. These poets assumed a woman's  
identity to facilitate the description of the Human condition, the Search
the pain staking journeys through Thar 
Thal and Cholistan, only the cry of a woman can echo the thirst for
Truth, Self Recognition.   This is indeed the impression one gets. That these
poets found themselves at ease getting into their shoes, and the rest was left
upto their poetic genius. 



>lies in a renewed understanding of the true concept of "iishq"
>and to again quote a great verse from Mohammad Bakhsh (of Saif-ul-Malook fame)
>which I have quoted earlier:


> point out in my last many posts, that the salvation of the world, and atleast 
>of our society, lies in a renewed understanding of the true concept of "iishq"
>and to again quote a great verse from Mohammad Bakhsh (of Saif-ul-Malook fame)
>which I have quoted earlier:


	>jinnaN iishq khareed na kitta, kanouN aan bhagottay
	>iishq-oooN banjh Mohammad Bakhsha, ki Adam, ki kottay

	>{they who have not bought the fruits of "iishq"
	 	>O, why have they come on this earth
	 >Without "iishq", O Mohammad Bakhsh,
		>there is no difference between Man and beast (dogs)}


You better watch out buddy! Some of my best friends in the past have been
dogs :) :) :) We used to call each other Mogs half (m)an half d(og) But that
was back in the undergrad days when madness was not the exception but the 
norm :) :)  Sorry if I drifted away from the topic for a while. Just a 
flashback from the past :)



Getting back to the discussion and my perpetual madness, I was up till 9 am
Saturday morning. Checking out Volume II of Pathana Khan. I told you I have
had it for a long time so I said what the heck! Anyway this is the Kafi you
asked for. There are some words that I could not write because they were
either sung that way that the words were not easy for me to follow or they
were simply out of my knowledge of Seraiki/Punjabi vocab.If anyone has listened 
to pathana khan they can imagine how I mustve felt writing the verses down. I 
never felt tired of the stop/rewind sequence because I never hit the rewind but-
ton. I listened to the whole thing every single time. It was that much fun. Am I 
crazy or what :). If I have some comments while writing the lines I'll
let you know within /* comments */ Words that I could not get are within curly
{ brackets }  The words where I have doubts and have made use of my judgement
are within these ( what ever hell they are called brackets ) Without any 
further bs on my part here goes the kafi. I may have to have a couple of 
cigarettes in the middle and definitely the one obligatory smoke the savour
the moment. Wink Wink. Shut your mouth Naveed and carry on
 




tussi vee ochay tohaDi zaat vee ochee
tussi vich och day rahn-day,
aassi qasoori saDi zaat qasoori 
aasssi vich qasoor day rahn-day.


aao paRh! paRh! bas mullaN! hik alif qafi! atay an ban! in bin! hoRn boRn kya!
jitay ( saaz ) firaaq day vaj gayay neeN mullaN! atay dhan dhan! dhun dhun! kya
jitay ( bayee )   {  }    vas gayay neeN mullan! atay kiRn kiRn! koRn koRn! kya
oo bullay-a jehN tay rab rahvay, aotay jumma khamees tay ( chanchar )! kya

                                                              /* smoke # 1 */
                                    /* I believe chanchar means Saturday */
                       /* meaning: the passing of days is meaningless when all
                          you  seek is the  Union  with the Beloved */


mayDa ranjaRn hoRn koee hoar
arsh monawar bangaN suRNyaaN takht lahoe
iishq day maaray avaiN phirday jeevayN jangal vich Dhhoor


                                    /* adil: it seems that one either becomes 
                                       a Dhhoor(cattle) or the kuta(Dog)
                                                    eventually  */

ranjhal takht e hazaar da saeeN

aao mahee! taDay avan day maiN tay lakhain ahsaaN manaysaN
gaDan rahaysaaN!
aaja Daykh kay dilbar kooN,
maiN tay sir sijday maiN DaysaaN,
adab karysaN!
vaylay hin ( koee ) gal laGan day otay savaRN sabzeeyaN saveeyaaN sayaN chaySaN
taa-m karaysaaN Thar Thar vaysaN
maiN-taaN apRna husn vakhaysaN 
Dhol manaysaaN
ranjhal takh hazaar e da saeeN ithay baRNhya choar.

                                              /* I can just die :) 
                                   /* the reference to saveeyaaN which most of
                                      u mustve had on Eid is so beautiful. The 
                                      poet is requesting the Beloved to offer
                                      him the pleasre of 
                                      the Union by making these offers of 
 				      serving these saveeyaN if the request is
                                      granted :)  */

 


Bulleh e Shah asaan maRna naheeN, goar pyak-oe hoar
jehN dil vich pyar dee ramz naheeN, bus oaN dil kooN veeran sumajh
jaykooN pyar dee JaaN suNyaRN naheeN, oaN banday kooN nadaan sumajh
ayo pyar aye dars waliaaN da, aye maslak paak nabeeyaN da,
anmool pyar dee doolat aye ( hik oqba ) da saaman sumajh
aye pyar dee khatir arshe baRnay
aye pyar dee khatir farshe barRnay
khud pyar khuda vich vasda aye
maiN sach aahda quran sumajh
na chahvan pyar da soakha aye
hik tol nibha-vaRn oakha aye
meeraj thyan aynday soolyeeaN day
kaee chaRhday (nok sanan) sumajh
iho pyar tay raab milwa-daynday 
sutay laykh (nazeer) jaga dayn-day
jehN dil vich pyar day dayray hin
bus ooN dil kooN irfaan sumajh




                                            
Well I think that is all for now. More when people have some input about
feminism and folk poetry. 





Naveed Memon