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Friday, February 10

"a fragrance used to come and I kept getting lost"

Commenter "sakurakou2009" provided for YouTube viewers an English translation of the transporting Arziyan, a Sufi kalam song created for the film "Delhi6" -- melody by A.R. Rahman, Hindi lyrics by Prasoon Joshi, sung by Javed Ali and Kailash Kher. I've republished the translation below, with thanks to both the translator and Sufi Ashram, which uploaded this video version of the song to YouTube. 

There are other translations of the kalam; here's one that includes the verses in Hindi for those who want to sing along. But to my mind the one by Sakurakou expresses in English the paradoxical aspect of the religious impulse, which the Bhakti (Hindu devotee of God) Ramakrishna Paramahamsa conveyed in his famous retort to the Yogi: "I don't want to be sugar! I want to taste sugar!"

The paradox put another way: Are you truly the One you seek, as the Yogis tell us? Or are you a spark of the divine, always seeking the Source of your divinity?

As to the resolution of the paradox, I'd say it's to strive to remember to leave room for the fact that you don't know it all.   

Arziyan video.

Translation at YouTube:

all the requests, are written on my face what can i ask from you, you yourself can understand o lord... my lord
wrinkles, and wrinkles are there on my forehead, o lord
mend my fate o lord, my lord am bowing at your doorstep, have fallen, and recovered mend my fate o lord, my lord.. whoever came to your door, whatever head came to bow to you looked to everyone like drunk, was seen dancing intoxicated
he had come thirsty, and got a river full in the beam of (divine) light, he was bathed (and thus), got across [overcame] (his problems).. a fragrance used to come and i kept getting lost there was a silky mirage and i would keep looking at it.. when I reached your street, then only I saw the reality i only possessed the fragrance, that you made me find.. scattering into pieces, i very well know but I don't know the etiquette of praying let me stay be bowed in prayer, i will not go anywhere now now if you reject me, then i will not be able to recover with my head held high i had asked for so many things had seen so many dreams, had tried so hard.. (but) when you appeared in front me, with your presence, i could not meet your eyes bowing my head, in a moment.. bowing my head, in a moment what did i not achieve.. maula maula maula mere maula

[maula = God, or Master who shows us the divine teachings; mere = more]

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