Ay chehra-e zeba-e tu - Amir Khusrao

I was singing a farsi shabad of Guru Nanak (Chilmil Bisyaar) and did some research on what Bisyaar means (बिसयारبسیار abundant, in plenty. अधिक, प्रचुर, बहुल, बहुत।).  I also looked up urdu, kashmiri and farsi poetry, and found the word in one of Amir Khusrau's farsi poem's that I have heard before and written about before (Man Tu Shudam). What in urdu/hindi we say "bahut khoob," Khusrau uses "bisyaar khubaan" (see second couplet below). According to a reader of the blog, khubaan is apparently the plural of khoob.
 


Poem by Khusro


Ay chehra-e zeba-e tu rashk-e-butaan-e aazari
Har chand wasfat mikunam dar husn zaan baalaatari.

Aafaq ra gar deedah am mehr-e butan warzeedah am;
Bisyaar khubaan deedah am lekin tu cheez-e deegari.

Man tu shudam, tu man shudi, man tan shudam, tu jan shudi;
Taakas nagoyad baad azeen man deegaram tu deegari.

Khusrau ghareeb ast-o gada uftadah dar shehr-e shuma;
Baashad ki az behr-e khuda, su-e ghareeban bangari.

(trans. Dr. Hadi Hasan)


O you whose beautiful face is the envy of the idols of Azar
(Abraham's father and famous idol maker);
You remain superior to my praise.

All over the world have I traveled; many a maiden’s love have I tasted;
Many a beauty-star have I seen; but you are something unique.

I have become you, and you me; I have become the body, you the soul; 
So that none hereafter may say that “I am someone and you someone else.”

Khusro a beggar, a stranger has come wandering to your town;
For the sake of god, have pity on this beggar and do not turn him away from your door.


Another trans by Dukhiram


O Thou whose beautiful face is envy of the idols of Azar (Abraham's father and image engraver of antiquity);
Thou remainst every moment superior to any praise of mine.

The mask maker who makes visages, if he saw Thine visage
The dryness of his past choices would make him start all over

Thou Queen of Fairies, bouquets of flowers pale beside Thee
Neither Sun nor Moon can match Thee, Resplendent  Thou, Jupiter Thou

All over the world have I traveled; many a maiden’s love have I tasted;
Many a beauteous star have I seen; but Thou art unique.

I am become Thou, Thou me; I am become the body, Thou the soul;
So that none hereafter may say “I am I and Thou are Thou. (i.e. someone else)”

Khusrau a beggar, a stranger has come wandering to your town;
For sake of God's Ocean, pity the poor, turn him not from the door.


A longer version of this poem:


ai chehra-e-zebā-e-tū rashk-e-butān-e-āzarī 
har-chand vasfat mī-kunam dar husn zaañ bālā-tarī 

tū az parī chābuk-tarī vaz barg-e-gul nāzuk-tarī 
vaz har-che goyam behtarī haqqā ajā.ib dilbarī 

tā-naqsh mī-bandad falak hargiz nadāda iiñ namak 
huure na-dānam yā malak farzand-e-ādam yā parī 

a.alam hama yaġhmā-e-tū ḳhalqe hama shaidā-e-tū 
aañ nargis-e-shahlā-e-tū āvurda rasm-e-kāfirī 

āfāq-hā gardīda-am mehr-e-butāñ varzīda-am 
bisyār ḳhūbāñ dīda-am lekin tu chīze dīgarī 

ai rāhat-o-ārām-e-jāñ bā qadd chuuñ sarv-e-ravāñ 
zīnsāñ marau dāman-kashāñ kārām-e-jānam mī-parī 

man tū shudam tū man shudī man tan shudam tū jaañ shudī 
tā kas na-goyad ba.ad aziiñ man dīgaram tū dīgarī 

'ḳhusrau' ġharībast-o-gadā uftāda dar shahr-e-shumā 
bāshad ki az bahr-e-ḳhudā sū-e-ġharībāñ bañgarī 

3 Comments

  1. hi. actually khooban in persian is the pleural form of khoob

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  2. I felt much glad when I saw the longer version of this Naat but I want its urdu translation too

    ReplyDelete