My friend Jasdeep Singh has shared his translation of a Punjabi poem Naanak by Jaswant Singh Zafar. I like the way poet brings out the essential side of Guru-Saint Naanak and his contemporaries from the Bhakti movement and alludes to the fact that how iconoclastic this was. Alas, all such movements and thoughts become boxed in rituals supervised by power hungry clergies..
Excuse Us
Its quite hard for us
To idolize real image of Naanak
Legs messed up with dust of the tiring paths
Cramped feet
rouged up beard by ..
eyes popping from the facial bone structure
dazzling renegade eyes
eyes
which challenge
the family
the regime
and every ritual
Real Naanak
can prove dangerous to us
Naanak imitated in the paintings of Sobha Singh
is well suited for us
peaceful
spiritual
hand shown like Goddess Lakhsmi
and the generosity withering from the hand
eyes full of delicacy
clean sun silked beard
round fair cheeks
fair and lovely
rosy tipsy lips
soft gemini feet
delicate barbie hands
The walls of our home can only hold
Naanak imitated in the paintings of Sobha Singh
Naanak who challenged the paths traveled by others
That Dangerous Naanak’s real picture
is quite bulky for our walls..
Excuse us..
the homes we created with labour of blood,
we can’t afford ruining them,
kids we got with God’s grace,
we can’t afford losing them,
we can not idolize the real image of Naanak
Excuse us
Punjabi version in roman can be found below:
Naanak
maaf karna
saade laee bahut mushkil hai
naanak dee asli tasveer da dhiaan dharna
painde di dhoor naal lath path pinjaniaan
tirhkiaan addiaan
nheri naal uljhi khushk daahree
te chihare deean ubhariaan haddiaan de doongh ch
dag deeaan maghdeeaan tez akhan
akhan jo –
parivaar noon
sarkaar noon
te har sanskaar noon
tich jaan deean
bahut khatarnaak sidh ho sakdai
saade laee asli naanak
saanoon taan sobha singhi moortaan vaala
naanak hee suit karda hai
shaant
leen
lakshmee devi vaang uthaia aasheeri hath
hath chon futdi mihar
te akhkhan chon dull dull paindee komalta
sun silky shaphaaph daahri
gol matol goreeaan gulaabi gallhan
fair and lovely
surakh tipsi honth
mulaim gemini pair
koole baarbie hath
paiganbari vastaran daa aeriali nikhaar
saade inhan gharan deeaan kandhaan te
naanak de sobha singhi chittar hee tik sakde
raahan noon radd karan vaale
khatarnaak naanak dee asli tasveer daa bhaar
saadi koee kandh nahin jhall sakdi
maaf karnaan asin mar mar ke banaae
ghar nahin dhuaaune
masan masan rabb ton lae niaane
haththon nahin guaaune
asin asli naanak di tasveer da dhiaan nahin dhar sakde
maaf karnaa
Source : Excerpts from poem Naanak by poet/cartoonist Jaswant Singh Zafar – second poetry book Asin naanak de ki lagde haan. He is an Engineer by profession .
English Translation is by yours truly.