[Poetry Chaikhana] Amir Khusrow Dehlawi - I Asked

Here's your Daily Poem from the Poetry Chaikhana --

 

I Asked By Amir Khusrow Dehlawi (1253 - 1325) English version by Mahmood Jalal   I asked, 'What's bright as the Moon?' 'My beautiful face,' was the answer. I said, 'What's sweet as sugar?' 'My speech,' was the answer. 'What is the way of Lovers?' I asked 'The way of loyalty,' was the answer. I said, 'Don't be so cruel to me.' 'It's my job to behave thus,' was the answer. 'What is death for Lovers?' 'Separation from me,' was the answer. 'What is the cure for life's ills?' 'To gaze upon my face,' was the answer. 'What is spring, what autumn?' 'Only my changing beauty,' was the answer. 'Who is the envy of the gazelle?' 'My swift gait,' was the answer. 'Are you a fairy or a houri?' 'I am the Lord of Beauty,' was the answer. 'Khusrow is helpless,' I said. 'He is my devotee,' was the answer.   -- from Islamic Mystical Poetry: Sufi Verse from the Early Mystics to Rumi, Translated by Mahmood Jamal Amazon.com / Photo by Ryan Vaarsi /

============ Thought for the Day: People become violently obsessed with rules and traditions and texts only when they have lost the sense of what they really point to. ============

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Hi Omss -

I said, 'Don't be so cruel to me.'
'It's my job to behave thus,' was the answer.

Ah, the trials of lovers...

'I am the Lord of Beauty,' was the answer.

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Ab'ul Hasan Yamin al-Din Khusrow, usually known by his pen name as Amir Khusrow Dehlawi (or Amir Khusrau Dehlavi), is a greatly loved composer of poetry, song, and riddles from India.

He was born in northern India. His father was of Turkish descent but born in Balkh, Afghanistan, the same region that gave birth to Jelaluddin Rumi. Khusrow's mother was from Delhi.

Amir Khusrow was a Sufi and disciple of Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia.

Khusrow is often called the "father of qawwali music" -- the ecstatic devotional Sufi music of India and Pakistan. He is also credited with the invention of tabla drums, the two hand drums played throughout the Indian subcontinent.

Khusrow was a classical poet and composer who served as court poet to several Delhi sultans. His songs are still widely sung by Sufis and the devout, especially in Northern India and Pakistan.

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I thought you might like to hear some of Amir Khusrow Dehlawi's songs performed, so I posted a couple of YouTube videos on the Poetry Chaikhana Blog: Amir Khusrow Dehlawi Qawwals. I hope you enjoy them!

Ivan

 

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New on the Poetry Chaikhana Blog In addition to the daily poem, other recent blog posts include: Music & Video: Amir Khusrow Dehlawi Qawwals - A couple of qawwals (ecstatic Sufi songs) for you by Amir Khusrow Dehlawi. Courtesy of YouTube. The first is performed by the late master Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. If you're not familiar with his music, then you have to give a listen. And if you are familiar with his music, then you know to give a listen More

 

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