Sacred flight

Stop time if you can
Live in eternity
For no clock will ever give you that,
It’s too long to wait
Dismal too,
Through agony,
Continue
In sleepless bliss of night
Turning into light,
Catching sunrays on windowpanes
Burning bright
As pigeons knock
Make you rise
To grim realities
Soaked dreams
Placid crumbs of self,
That delights in sacred flight!

Shoes that never fit

What you think of what I do is not my concern,
For you can never be in my shoes,
Never know what the world within is like
Or stays
Its an ocean of light and darkness
Love and hatred
The night of which never comes
as the day never ends
Judge me for all I care too,
For your judgment comes from ignorance
Your bliss, a torture unknown
Live it as your destiny,
Maybe cherish it too
For this is what you shall ever know and love
Bloodied trails in muddied waters
Where murky death beckons you to live!

Holiness of the whole

Broken world,
Torn flesh of humans
Scattered everywhere
Not just bombings
Suicides too
For it never ends, never stops,
The cycle of truth
Melody of hope
Cries for help
From the depths of darkness
Desire to breathe
Leaving behind the grip of death
In search of eternal sunshine
Fragrance of silk
Shine of a star
Holiness of the whole,
Calls all, swimmers, drifters, tramps,
Collective dreamers
From the land never pure
Of putrefied wood
Souvenirs from the desert
Panting sands
Whooshing ringlets of grey matter
Dew on daredevils
Surviving hatred from within
Living on for now!

via Tumblr http://andaleebrizvi.tumblr.com/post/53398088313

Songs of nature

Among the high peaks and tall trees
Flowing wind
Rustling leaves
Yes, the loneliness of a mountain calls
Sadness of the dark boulders
Standing on cliff edges
In perpetual fear of falling
Crushing someone
Lovers or enemies, friends or foes
And in the distance
The shepherd on his flute too
Signals you, come hither
For the song of nature is always present
Brutal
In lightning and thunderstorm
Darkened, charred tree trunks
Trailing fires; Raging waters; Moving earth
Sliding solid waters
Destructive and vile you think
Is it so? The muses ask;
Sheep, ask them
Grazers of the hinterlands,
Jumping along steep slopes with sure foots
Tiny bells, they too beckon you to join them
Running to the shepherd
Making the music louder
Summoning with longing
Mixing in, the laughter of the blossoms
Fragrant trails of sensuous colours
Even if poisonous and deadly,
Crackle chants until nightfall
Till the fireflies abuzz
Bring heaven on earth
Bejewelled, luminescence on black silk
As well shouts
Come hither, come hither, come hither!

via Tumblr http://andaleebrizvi.tumblr.com/post/53082458775

Rain

Don’t stop rain
Arid earth
Parched people
Hungry farmers
Dried rivers
With parted lips
Vacant eyes
Been waiting long
In scorching heat
Amid dead cattle
In the hope of springs
And smell of earth
Laden with heavenly fluids
That cleanse dirt, air and flight,
Dancing in rain,
Getting purer by the drop,
As through glimmering sheets
Of liquid bliss
Pass rays of light
Trying to catch a rainbow!



via Tumblr http://andaleebrizvi.tumblr.com/post/53062243582

Past strangers

Dreams that fill your eyes,
Colours that make rainbows,
Early morning at the beach
Flying in the cool breeze,
Gentle flowing,
Blowing from far across the border
With little droplets of rain and love,
Embraces me, and tell me the secrets
That you kept so long,
We are no longer strangers my love!

via Tumblr http://andaleebrizvi.tumblr.com/post/52762875634

Short-lived shadows

It was a shadow
Silhouette of darkness,
Passed as quickly as it came
Knowing that staying longer
Could reveal what must be hidden
Hidden from the seeking eyes
Tearing through craftiness
Cobwebs of which had lingered long
Like a library visited seldom
Or cacophony of deafening lies
Sculpted in stone
Don’t dust it away, let it lay in hiding
For it is poisonous and frail
Infecting the soul for long
A ghostly silence,
Of elongated gloom
Murky corridors in a shanty town
Where hopelessness presides in chaos
Desert, for order will kill it
Permission denied now!

via Tumblr http://andaleebrizvi.tumblr.com/post/52757768132

Human?

Humans;

Shape shifters

Logs or rafters in a loft

Creepy crawlers with shells, or soft

Darkness, light, it’s your call

Dim or bright is not all

Brazen or discreet

Bright or bleak

Honest or cheat

Nobody ever knows the true creed

So drift like leaves

Or be a tree

Kill the shadow

Of the shape shifting beast 

Rumi - Na Man Behuda Girde

I do not understand Persian, but the first time I listened to this poetry I fell in love. Beautifully sung by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, this is one of my most favorite Sufi kalam by Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Balkhī or Rumi. Came across this poetry while searching for qawwalis on youtube, but hail the ban, I lost the song and could not find an mp3 either. Today of all days I decided to download hotspotshield just to listen to this song and luckily the new realplayer update allowed me to not only download the song, but make an mp3. Here is a very basic translation I could come up with, for what was already out there doesn't seem very appealing.

نه من بيهوده گرد کوچه و بازار می گردم
Na man behuda gird-e-koocha-o-bazar me gardam
My roaming on streets & bazaars is not pointless

مذاق عاشقی دارم پی ديدار می گردم
Mazaq-e-aashiq-e-daram ba-deedar me gardam
I seek thee, beloved

خدايا رحم کن بر من پريشان وار می گردم
Khudaya rehm kun barman, pareshan waar me gardam
Have mercy on me, for I am anxious

خطا کارم گناه کارم به حال زار می گردم
Khata karam gunah garam ba-haal-e-zar me gardam
I have sinned; wandering, troubled

شراب شوق می نوشم به گرد يار می گردم
Sharab-e-shoq me nosham, ba-gird-e-yaar me gardam
Intoxicated by desire I seek thee and roam

سخن مستانه می گويم ولی هوشيار می گردم
Sukhan mastana me goyam, walay hushyaar me gardam
Not drunk but alert as I search

گهی خندم گهی گريم گهی افتم گهی خيزم
Gahe khundam, gahe giryum, gahe ufftum, gahay khezum
Every now and then laughing, crying, falling, rising

مسيحا در دلم پيدا و من بيمار می گردم
Maseeha dar dilum paida, o-man beemar me gardam

Roving sick as the messiah knocks at my heart's door

بالبم رسیده جانم تو بیاں که زنده مانم
Ba labam raseeda jaanam utu biya ke zinda manam

Death is round the corner, please come so I shall live

پس اذ آں کے من نه مانم بہ چھکار خواہی آمد
Pas az aan ke man na manam ba chih kar khaahi aamad
If you come when I am no more what use will it be

جدا ماسکی رسم آشنای است
Juda maskaye rasm-e-aashnaye ast
As the familiar mask is drawn

بیا که مرا تا قطعی جدای است
Baya kay marata qataye-judaye ast
And arrives the time of deliverance

بیا جانا عنایت کن تو مولانای رومی را
Baya jana inayat kunto Maulana Rumi Ra

Beloved! Come, aid your Maulana Rumi

غلام شمس تبریزم قلندروار می گردم
Ghulam-e-Shams-e-Tabraizi, Qalandar-war me gardam
Wanderer, slave of Qalandar Shams Tabraizi

For those who can access youtube:

Bloody letters!

Dripping blood on a marble floor,
Horses hooves smearing those,
Paint, paint these images before they fade,
Gone in those mopping blades,
Bleeding stone, is it?
Heartless it was, wasn't it?
Straining against these constraints,
Entangled in the bushes of hell,
Stop it I say,
Break these chains,
Be a free stallion again!

Did you see the smile?

Smiling,
Shining bright and radiant,
Glistening,
Like dew drops in the morning,
Do you notice?
The sheen,
Fragility and brittleness?
Nay,
Its fear,
Yes, for what makes one smile in pain?
Make a brave face appear,
Don't show the truth,
Fake it,
For who cares for real?

Standing in the rain

Standing in the rain,
Sins washing away,
Trickling, drifting in the water,
I watch them,
Going farther,
Colourful they are,
Much more than a rainbow,
Drenched and cold outside,
But burning hot within,
I watch them,
Pass me by,
Staring they are,
Remorse in their eyes,
Myriad heads in a crowd,
Things in my mind,
I watch them,
Clouds clearing away,
Chasing each other,
Till the sun is out,
Shining bright in my face!

Dudgeons

I want to be a dead pile of dirt,
From which no plant grows,
No life flows,
It's eternally dull,
And null shall it be,
Infertile never meeting star dust!

Brain defrost: Thoughts that run

My brain,
A horse,
An untamed one at that,
A stallion, let lose in a field,
Not the elysian fields,
Just not yet,
There is time love,
He said, as he turned his head,
To gaze at the glistening blade,
Blade or shard?
What was it?
A shard trampled in the hooves,
Yes, its gone,
No longer does it haunt,

Be free he tells,
Free of what?
Humans,
Anything but them,
Just not yet,
He smiles again,
That kind one,
Its still too far to go,
Let them be,
Ones who can't wait,
Let them go,
Mere hindrances,
Nothing else,
Step on, ahead,
Beautiful horse!

Ethereal flute

Sometimes music leaves us spellbound and lost in another dimension. Disconnected from the present. These lines just started flowing of their own accord while I was listening to Raga Bhimpalasi by Hariprasad Chaurasia. An Indian classical instrumentalist from Allahabad. 

Shivers run down my spine,
As I sit mesmerized by the music
Emanating from this piece of wood,
Which at some point,
On a given day,
Must have been a part of some tree,
A tree that might have given shade to some school children,
Or may be lovers who were never meant to be!

Be one, not more

Twitter fights,

Silly rights,
Cyber farts and dummy brights,
Open your eyes,
Look around,
World is outside virtual bounds,
Round and round,
In this circular town,
Where there is hunger,
And death roams around,
You talk of stupid Tinseltown,
Wake up,
Look,
Some are dead, or dying tonight,
Rest are frightened of the light,
Knock at their doors,
Make them bold,
Bring them out of their moulds,
Make them fight,
Strive for right,
Shoot prejudice,
Clear the divide,
Wipe out the boundaries,
Be merry or contrite,
Bring a change,
Murder vain,
Make it happen,
Till all is ordained!

Worker

Hungry eyes,
Barren soul,
Lost within times untold,
Toiling the earth,
Breaking stones,
Making food for ones who store,
Oh please share,
Not charity, alms or wares,
But what I made for you and I,
The woven cloth,
And gilded book,
A roof of peace,
Hammer and sickle!

Mürvet ya Ali - generous one

Hüseyin & Ali Rıza Albayrak ( Aynur Doğan) - Alemin Nuru

I do not understand Turkish, but this is one of my most favourite Sufi kalam by Şah İsmail Hatayi, or as known in Persian Abū l-Muzaffar bin Haydar as-Safavī. Founder of the Safavid Dynasty. I discovered this poetry by accident while searching for Alevi, Bektashi music. The following version is by Hüseyin & Ali Rıza Albayrak, who you can follow on Facebook.



After several attempts at searching for an English translation and trying Google Translate many times. I decided to try and translate it myself. Using several different Turkish to English dictionaries, as well as, of course Google, I was able to come up with something that might be considered close.

Hasretinden yandı bağrım hiç görür müyüm seni
My yearning to hold you to my bosom,

Umarım Hak divanında yad eyleyesin beni 
Is as great as wanting the Elysian Fields,

Sana cömert gani derler mürvet ey keremkânı 
Your generosity is renowned,

Alemin nuru Muhammed.. Mürvet ya Ali mürvet 
Muhammad’s light of the universe, Ali the generous one,

Sana benzer bulamadım şu cihan-ı vahdette 
There is none as great as you to follow in the whole world,

Göster mah-ı cemalini kalmayayım hasrette 
Reveal to me the beauty and not let the yearning wither away,

İsmini zikreden kullar mahrum kalmaz ahrette 
Name me among your slaves, do not leave me destitute in afterlife

Alemin nuru Muhammed.. Mürvet ya Ali mürvet 
Muhammad’s light of the universe, Ali the generous one!

Bağışla bu günahkarı yüz sürdüm dergâhına 
Bestow forgiveness on me for peace, for I am a sinner,

Ruhum küfr içinde kaldı kalma bu günahıma
Essentially a selfish soul within,

Sığınıp gelmişem ben bu risalet penahına 
You are my only logical refuge,

Alemin nuru Muhammed.. Mürvet ya Ali mürvet
Muhammad’s light of the universe, Ali the generous one!

Hatayi der ki; "Ya Ali dolu günahla tenim"
Hatayi say, "O Ali you are within me",

Alemin nuru Muhammed.. Mürvet ya Ali mürvet 
Muhammad’s light of the universe, Ali the generous one!

By Şah İsmail Hatayi

Pain

Turn me to stone,
My heart to ice,
Eyes to glass,
And mind to rock,
For I live in pain.

Looking for peace

Hide under a rock,
Dive in a stream,
Stop to talk,
Run far away in your dream,
Grasp the wisp of dawn,
Catch the sheen,
As its feather light,
Bright and serene,
Ring, let it ring,
And wait for the echo,
It might bring,
What you were waiting for!