A Sufi

Binding my ankles with silver

I danced -

people in town called me crazy.

She`ll ruin the clan,

and the prince

had a cup of venom delivered.

I laughed as I drank it.

Can`t they see?-

body and mind aren’t something to lose,

the Dark One`s already seized them.

Mira`s lord can lift mountains,

he is her refuge.

Come to my bedroom,

I`ve scattered fresh buds on the couch,

perfumed my body.

Birth after birth I am your servant,

sleep only with you.

Mira`s lord does not perish-

one glimpse of the Dark One

is all she requests.
---Mirabai

Mirabi was a Rajput princess, born in 1498 in the town of Merta (Rajhastan, India). She was married into the neighbouring clan of Sisodiya Rajputs of Mewar. She rejected her husband, renounced the royal life, became a sadhu and began her love affair with Krishna. Her songs have been passed down the generations and cherished by Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs.

Chained by love.

Captured again.

Struggle is futile.

Escape is impossible.

Love is a sea

with unseen shores -

with no shores at all.

The wary don`t dive in.

To swim in love

is to drink poison

and find it sweet.

I struggled like a wild mare

drawing the noose tighter.

-- Rabia (one of the first Islamic mystic)

Dreaming - I am with Her,

lips locked to lips,

body bound to body.

I sigh, ``Let now be always,``

but when I wake again

I am outside knocking on Her door.

-- Hamadani

Ifti:

Is this an original English work or did you translate one of your Urdu poems?

Must confess I had some hesitancy here:

....A child lives inside me
....A boy lives insides me.
....A man lives insides me.
....A child lives insides me.
....A girl lives insides me.
....A woman lives insides me.

In the first line ``inside`` in all other lines ``insides``? ``Child: in the first and fourth: any particular reason for the repetition or was it an oversight?

I have enjoyed your previous works but this one leaves me with an empty feeling. Something is missing. Maybe it is me. Will come back to this another time.

rgds

t

A child lives inside me.

A boy lives insides me.

A man lives insides me.

A child lives insides me.

A girl lives insides me.

A woman lives insides me.

Question: Could you have voided this?

OR

Perhaps have meade it more a part of the rest of your work.

It appears that if I take this part out of the poem, the verse actually sounds better.

Hope you don`t take this personally. This is a mere suggestion. Ignore it if you don`t think this humble opinion helps.

A poem worthy of both the poet Ifti Nasim and the late great Qawwal Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.

Ras

Bahram Atashband #334 I agree that science without wisdom is not good, just as money or power or anything else without wisdom is no good. But without wisdom, I think it is only possible to control the results of science and not possible to generate scientific advancements in the first place. I say this for the following reasons:

Scientific advancements rest upon foundations provided by what is generally termed the ``scientific method``: you start with a set of assumptions based on which you arrive at some logical conclusions which you then test against reality the best you can. If necessary, you reject your theory and develop one based on understanding developed to date. This to me is the essence of wisdom and humility and indeed is consistent with what Islam teaches us (we humans cannot know everything, but must try to seek as much understanding of things as we can). Thanks for commenting on my post.

ifti,

once i get past the first four lines, i like it..alot.

i dont think you are writing for an audience though...its personal work that can be shared. i like it because it seems independent of what others think. and that, in itself, is so reflective of the person you are. which is why i like it.

great pics on the sangat page by the way :)

z.rizvi

Ghulam Mohammadabad or Peoples Colony of Lyallpur should be named Nusratpura.