Voice of Punjab: 30 Waris Shah Verses (Urdu)

Ishq mushk na chhapde rehnde, je koi lakh chhupaave ho,
Jaan oh zaahir ho ke rehnda, jaan oh jaan gawaave ho.
Love and musk cannot remain hidden, even if one tries to hide them a hundred thousand times,
Either it becomes manifest, or one loses one’s life for it. (Waris Shah – common theme)
Waris Shah jinhoon ishq da teer lagge, oh kar de ne aaho zaariyaan,
Neend bhukkh haraam ohnaan te, phiran janglaan de vich maariyaan.
Waris Shah, those struck by the arrow of love, they lament and cry,
Sleep and hunger become forbidden to them, they wander smitten in the jungles. (Waris Shah)

Jehre ralde nahin asal de naal kadi, ohnaan kolon ki bhalaai ae,
Jivein kaag kadi hans nahin ban sakda, bhaanwein moti chug chug khaaiye.
Those who never mix with their true origin, what good can come from them?
Just as a crow can never become a swan, even if it pecks and eats pearls. (Waris Shah – social commentary)

Ishq karna saukha naahin miyaan, eh te sir dhar di baazi ae,
Jehra sir deve, soi khed jaave, baaqi duniya paaji ae.
Falling in love is not easy, sir, it’s a game of staking one’s head,
One who gives their head wins the game, the rest of the world is deceitful. (Waris Shah)

Ranjha Takht Hazaare da saayin, uth jangal vich aaya,
Heer Sayal di khaatir jogi, ban ke dhooni rachaaya.
Ranjha, the lord of Takht Hazara, arose and came to the jungle,
For Heer of the Sials, he became a jogi and lit a sacred fire. (Waris Shah – Heer)

Akhaan vekh ke sohne mukhre noon, be-ikhtiyaar jhuk jaandiyaan nein,
Eh ishq di pehli manzil ae, jithe aqlaan vi ruk jaandiyaan nein.
Upon seeing a beautiful face, the eyes bow involuntarily,
This is the first stage of love, where even intellects stop working.

Waris Shah eh duniya faani, aithe kujh vi nahin rehna,
Jo kujh karna aj kar le, kal kise ne nahin vekhiya paina.
Waris Shah, this world is transient, nothing will remain here,
Whatever you have to do, do it today, no one has seen what tomorrow will bring. (Waris Shah)

Heer aakhe Ranjhe jogiya ve, tainu ishq di saar ki jaan’ni,
Tu te khaavein peeyein te mauj karein, asaan hijr vich jaan ganwaan’ni.
Heer says, “O Ranjha, the jogi, what do you know of the essence of love?
You eat, drink, and enjoy, while I am to lose my life in separation.” (Waris Shah – Heer)

Jehra ishq di baazi haar gaya, samjho ohne jag jeet leya,
Eh aisa nasha ae Waris Shah, jehra charhda te pher nahin lehnda piya.
One who loses the game of love, consider that they have won the world,
This is such an intoxication, Waris Shah, that once it takes hold, it doesn’t leave.

Sohniyaan soortaan waale aksar, dil de hunde kaale nein,
Ohnaan utte e’tibaar na kareen, jehre moonhon mithe bol waale nein.
Those with beautiful faces are often black-hearted,
Do not trust those whose words are sweet to the mouth. (Waris Shah – social commentary)

Ishq karna te pher nibhaavna, eh mardaan da kam ae sajna,
Buzdil ishq di raah nahin turde, oh te dar ke nas jaande nein sajna.
To love and then to fulfill it, this is the work of brave men, beloved,
Cowards don’t walk the path of love, they get scared and run away, beloved.

Waris Shah jadon ishq sir charh bole, taan koi pand naseehat kam nahin aundi,
Aashiq yaar di gali vich mar jaande, bhaanwein duniya lakh samjhaaundi.
Waris Shah, when love speaks from the head (takes over), then no advice works,
Lovers die in the beloved’s lane, even if the world tries to explain a hundred thousand times.

Jehra yaar de rang vich rangiya jaave, ohnoon pher apni sudh nahin rehndi,
Oh te har vele mast malang hove, ohdi zabaan te yaar di gall rehndi.
One who is dyed in the color of the beloved then loses self-awareness,
He is always an intoxicated ascetic, the beloved’s talk remains on his tongue.

Rabb sachiyaan mohabbataan aap milaave, bhaanwein lakh vairi jag saara hove,
Jehnoon Rabb ne melna likh ditta, ohnoon kaun judaa kar sakda bhala hove.
God Himself unites true loves, even if the whole world becomes a hundred thousand enemies,
One whom God has destined to meet, who can possibly separate them?

Heer kahe main Ranjhan jogi, hor kise noon nahin jaan di,
Ranjhan baajhon eh jindri meri, kise kam di nahin aan di.
Heer says, “I am for Ranjha, the jogi, I know no one else,
Without Ranjha, this life of mine is of no use.” (Waris Shah – Heer)

Duniya matlab di yaaro, koi kise da sajan naahin,
Jadon gharaz hove mukh chum lainde, pher pachhaande vi naahin.
This world is of self-interest, friends, no one is anyone’s beloved,
When there’s a need, they kiss the face, then they don’t even recognize.

Ishq lagga te chain aaraam gaya, neendar akhiyaan chon udd pudd gayi,
Har vele yaad sajan di aave, meri jindri sooli tang gayi.
Love struck, and peace and comfort went, sleep flew away from the eyes,
The beloved’s memory comes all the time, my life is hung on the gallows.

Sohne yaar da mukhra vekh ke te, chan vi sharma jaave,
Ohdi ik jhalak je mil jaave, te marda vi jee uth aave.
Seeing the beautiful beloved’s face, even the moon would feel shy,
If one gets a glimpse of him/her, even a dead person would come back to life.

Waris Shah jehnaan de andar sacha ishq wase, ohnaan noon dar koi naahin,
Oh te yaar di khaatir jaan vi de den, bhaanwein maut saamne aa khalove.
Waris Shah, those within whom true love resides, they have no fear,
They would even give their lives for the beloved, even if death stands before them.

Jehra ishq de painde pai jaanda, ohnoon manzil di parwaah nahin rehndi,
Oh te yaar de deedaar da bhukkha honda, ohdi akh har vele raah takdi rehndi.
One who embarks on the journey of love no longer cares for the destination,
He is hungry for the sight of the beloved, his eye always watches the path.

Qaazi mulla ishq noon ki jaanan, eh te ramz faqeeraan di,
Jehra ishq vich dubb gaya soi tariya, baaqi gallaan nein lakeeraan di.
What do Qazis and Mullahs know of love? This is the secret of the faqirs,
One who drowned in love, swam across; the rest are just talks of lines (fate).

Maahi baajhon Heer kamli hoi, jangal bele phirdi,
Ranjhan Ranjhan kardi phirdi, yaar noon har thaan labhdi.
Without her beloved, Heer went mad, wandering in jungles and wilderness,
She roams calling “Ranjhan, Ranjhan,” searching for her beloved everywhere. (Waris Shah – Heer)

Eh jind nimaani ishq vich rul gayi, koi na puchhe baat,
Yaar milan di aas te jeevandi aan, katdi payi aan raat.
This wretched life has been ruined in love, no one asks about my condition,
I live on the hope of meeting my beloved, I am passing the night.

Sohne yaar de baajhon jeena, jivein machhli baajhon paani,
Tadap tadap ke mar jaavaan gi, je na miliya oh dil da jaani.
Living without the beautiful beloved is like a fish without water,
I will die writhing in pain if I don’t meet the beloved of my heart.

Waris Shah oh ishq salaamat rakhe, jehra roohaan da hove mel miyaan,
Jismaani ishq te chand dinaan da, pher muk jaanda ae khel miyaan.
Waris Shah, may that love remain safe which is a union of souls, sir,
Physical love is for a few days, then the game ends, sir. (Waris Shah)

Jehnoon yaar da dard na hove kadi, ohnoon ishq di samajh nahin aundi,
Ishq te naan ae qurbaani da, jehri yaar layi jaan lutaaundi.
One who never feels the beloved’s pain does not understand love,
Love is the name of sacrifice, which offers life for the beloved.

Raataan kaaliyaan te sune raahwaan, yaar baajhon kaun puchhe,
Dil kamla tainu yaad karda, akhiyaan chon neer wagge.
Dark nights and deserted paths, who asks about me without my beloved?
My crazy heart remembers you, tears flow from my eyes.

Tere ishq de nashe vich choor hoye, duniya di hosh ganwaai,
Hun te har paase toon hi toon disein, keeti ishq ne aisi shaidai.
Intoxicated with your love, I lost consciousness of the world,
Now I see only you everywhere, love has made me so mad.

Jadon ishq da jaam koi pee lainda, ohnoon hosh na thaan te rehndi,
Oh te yaar de naan te nachda phire, ohdi har gall yaar di kehndi.
When someone drinks the goblet of love, their senses don’t remain in place,
They wander dancing in the beloved’s name, their every word speaks of the beloved.

Waris Shah di Heer jad parhde nein, te aashiqaan de dil kambde,
Sacha ishq je karna hove, taan Ranjhe waangon sir deyo bande.
When people read Waris Shah’s Heer, the hearts of lovers tremble,
If one wants to truly love, then one must offer their head like Ranjha. (Waris Shah)