I am that
The marvelous sound That comes from the sky – I am That. The sweet fragrance That comes from the garden – I am That.…
Bulleh, the Beloved is hidden and sits aside
Another poem of Bulleh Shah with a translation KaoN aayaa pehn libaas kuRey tuseeN puchho biThaa ke paas kurey hath khooNDee moDhey kambal kaalaa…
Khowaja Fareed – The Mystical Voice of Southern Punjab
A friend, for the lack of a better term (why are we always hankering after labels and identities for some associations that lie beyond…
Khowaja Fareed – the Sufi voice of Southern Punjab
A special friend, for the lack of a better term (why are we always hankering after labels and idenitities for some associations that lie…
Dholaks drowning gunfire
by Shreekant Gupta During a recent visit to Delhi I mentioned to my aunt that I planned to visit Rawalpindi next week for a…
Most poetry ignores most people
Courtesy The NEWS, Pakistan The shadow poet Adrian Mitchell died on December 21, 2008 in London. A prolific poet, novelist and playwright, he was…
Celebrating Eid with Rumi
It’s a habit of yours to walk slowly. You hold a grudge for years. With such heaviness, how can you be modest? With such…
Nayyara singing timeless verses
Meray Derd ko jo Zuban mille Mujhe apna naam o nishan milay Mujhe raaz jo ye pinhan milay mujhe Kainaat ki sarvari Mujhe daulat…
This Love — Quatrain from Rumi
This Love is the king, yet a throne cannot be found. It is the essence of the Koran yet a verse cannot be found.…
Sab Thath pada reh jaye ga…(When the gypsy-headman leaves)
These pithy Urdu verses by Nazeer Akbarabadi lament that all will be abandoned when the Banjara (gypsy), the headman or Naik in the folklore,…
Lal Shahbaz Qalander of Sindh
Source here Shahbaz Qalandar was born in Marwand to a dervish, Syed Ibrahim Kabiruddin whose ancestors migrated from Iraq and settled down in Mashhad,…
Adieu Mahmoud Darwaish
Courtesy AHRC I come from there I come from there and I have memories Born as mortals are, I have a mother And a…
O my Lord, if I worship you
Today I was directed to this excellent blogsite devoted to Rabia Basri’s poems – found this bold poem by Rabia, an early Sufi from…
Choose A Suffering
Choose A Suffering Yesterday in the assembly I saw my soul inside the jar of the one who pours. “Don’t forget your job,” I…
Rumi’s Quatrain – Our drunkenness does not come from wine
Rumi’s Quatrain – Our drunkenness does not come from wine. The joy of our gathering does not come from the harp or rubaab. With…
To Muslims: Smash the Doors, Wash your brains..
Came across this excellent article by Farooq Suleria that rather candidly talks about the dearth of creativity in Muslims of today. I love the…
Know the true definition of yourself
Rumi on knowing ourselves Suppose you know the definitions of all substances and their derivatives, what good is this to you? Know the true…
Doing as others told me/I was blind
Rumi’s Quatrain (no 77) can have so many interpretations ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Doing as others told me, I was blind. Coming when others called me, I…
Doors in Metal
“Doors in Metal” by Rumi Tell me, O Love, Who is more elegant, You or this vast garden of yours? Shine, O moon, You…
My poems have been published – finally
This is the first time… Two poems of mine have been published by the international poetry digest, “A Hudson View” in its Spring 2008…