Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. sulaiman Khateeb (1942-1978) humour and satire in dakkhani urdu which his audience related to and ragailed in. He mingles subtle metaphors and similes with every day spoken language. It is best to hear the oral recitation to enjoy his work fully and perhaps more easily understand the meaning and pronunciation of words in dakkhani. He was from an orthodox family (Khateeb means sermon giver/preacher) and had strong roots in rural India. He writes much in rural settings of everyday rural themes. Sometimes he takes beautiful, unexpected turns into conventional language, but it remains mostly dakkhani.
1
bhot dekhe hoNge yuN to chaandi raataaN tumeN
yuuiNch Khaali sun ko hoNge tuur¹ ke baataaN tumeN    1.mount tuur where Moses/moosa is supposed to have seen divine manifestation of brilliance
You may have seen many full moon nights. You may have heard much casual conversation about mount tuur and divine lights.
2
muNh andhaare¹ aa ko dekho tuur² ban jaati huN maiN
tuur ban jaati huN maiN ji noor³ ban jaati huN maiN    1.before dawn, when it is just dark that you cannot recognize faces 2.mount tuur 3.brilliance
The ‘maiN’ here is the pagDanDi – rural footpath, speaking in the first person. Come over just before dawn, before it is light, and you will see that I shine like the divine brilliance of mount tuur. I become a ribbon of light.
3
ek navi¹ aaris² ke sarka³ churmura ko sharm se
gauuN ke baaju⁴ se nikal kar ghaaT ku jaati huN maiN
jin ke aNge⁵ chaan suuraj bhiik ki sahnak⁶ haiN vo
aise aise aaftaabaaN⁷ ku uTha laati huN maiN    1.new 2.bride 3.(jaisa) like, similar to 4.baazu, along the side 5.aage, in front of, before 6.small clay platter 7.shining suns
Just like a new bride, shrinking in shyness, I sneak past the village towards the river bank. I bring to my path such brilliant faces before whome the sun and moon are begging platters – pale in comparison.
4
muNh andhaare¹ aa ko dekho tuur² ban jaati huN maiN
tuur ban jaati huN maiN ji noor³ ban jaati huN maiN    1.before dawn, when it is just dark that you cannot recognize faces 2.mount tuur 3.brilliance
The ‘maiN’ here is the pagDanDi – rural footpath, speaking in the first person. Come over just before dawn, before it is light, and you will see that I shine like the divine brilliance of mount tuur. I become a ribbon of light.
5
yaaN po chhupti, vaaN nikalti, khelte aati huN maiN
dhaan¹ ke khetaaN meN jaa ko maaNg² ban jaati huN maiN
piile, piile le ko gaagar³ jaise sone ki lakiir
aek lachkiili⁴ kamar huN bal⁵ po bal khaati huN maiN   1.grain, rice 2.parting of hair 3.yellow copper pots 4.supple 5.swaying side to side
Hiding here, emerging there, I come playfully. Through the fields of grain, I look like the parting of the beloved’s hair. Young damsels carry their yellow copper pots on their supple waists, swaying from side to side, making a golden line.
6
muNh andhaare¹ aa ko dekho tuur² ban jaati huN maiN
tuur ban jaati huN maiN ji noor³ ban jaati huN maiN    1.before dawn, when it is just dark that you cannot recognize faces 2.mount tuur 3.brilliance
The ‘maiN’ here is the pagDanDi – rural footpath, speaking in the first person. Come over just before dawn, before it is light, and you will see that I shine like the divine brilliance of mount tuur. I become a ribbon of light.
7
maiN kuNvaari¹ chhoriyoN² ki ek lambi saaNs huN
do diloN meN chubhne³ vaali aek baNgi⁴ phaaNs⁵ huN
haath meN jaNgal ke huN taqdiir⁶ ki TeRhi lakiir
kachcha pakka v’aada⁷ huN, miTti miTti aas⁸ huN    1.unmarried 2.damsels 3.pricking, piercing 4.hook 5.sliver, thorn 6.fate 7.promise 8.hope
There are so many stories of loving and broken hearts associated with the rural footpath … I am like the deep sigh of young maidens (longing for their lover), I am like the thorn that hooks together two loving hearts, like line of fate etched on the palm of the jungle. I am like a half-made promise, like hope vanishing in the distance.
8
muNh andhaare¹ aa ko dekho tuur² ban jaati huN maiN
tuur ban jaati huN maiN ji noor³ ban jaati huN maiN    1.before dawn, when it is just dark that you cannot recognize faces 2.mount tuur 3.brilliance
The ‘maiN’ here is the pagDanDi – rural footpath, speaking in the first person. Come over just before dawn, before it is light, and you will see that I shine like the divine brilliance of mount tuur. I become a ribbon of light.
9
ye utaaraaN¹, ye chaRhaavaaN² baaNsuri ki raag huN
man-chale gabru³ javaaN ke dilaaN ki aag huN
gori gori gopiyaaN⁴ haiN raNg biraNgi⁵ saaRiyaaN
vo dhanak⁶ bhi kya dhanak ji, maiN dhanak ki bhaag⁷ huN    1.downhill slope 2.uphill slope 3.young adolescent man 4.krishn’s playmates, cow girls 5.many colours 6.rainbow 7.bhaagya – good fortune, fortunate
The ups and downs along my path like the high and low notes of a flute like krishna’s song. I set fire to the hearts of young adolescent men. These fair maidens, like krishna’s playmates, herding cows, in their many coloured clothes. Why talk of the rainbow in the sky, I am the really fortunate rainbow.
10
muNh andhaare¹ aa ko dekho tuur² ban jaati huN maiN
tuur ban jaati huN maiN ji noor³ ban jaati huN maiN    1.before dawn, when it is just dark that you cannot recognize faces 2.mount tuur 3.brilliance
The ‘maiN’ here is the pagDanDi – rural footpath, speaking in the first person. Come over just before dawn, before it is light, and you will see that I shine like the divine brilliance of mount tuur. I become a ribbon of light.
11
aek chundri¹ huN kisi ki khet meN khoii hui
aek naagan² huN akeli ghaaNs meN soii hui
kaaN ke paavaaN jal-kaNval³ paRte haiN chhaati po meri
maiN to gaNga ki lahr⁴ huN noor⁵ meN Doobi hui   1.shawl/scarf 2.snake, cobra 3.water-lily, lotus 4.wave 5.light
I am like some young maiden’s shawl lost in the fields, like a lone snake sleeping in the grass. Ah, those lotus feet that descend on my breast. I am like the flow of the Ganges, shimmering under the sky.
12
muNh andhaare¹ aa ko dekho tuur² ban jaati huN maiN
tuur ban jaati huN maiN ji noor³ ban jaati huN maiN    1.before dawn, when it is just dark that you cannot recognize faces 2.mount tuur 3.brilliance
The ‘maiN’ here is the pagDanDi – rural footpath, speaking in the first person. Come over just before dawn, before it is light, and you will see that I shine like the divine brilliance of mount tuur. I become a ribbon of light.
13
shaar¹ ke vo paapi² paavaaN mujh pe aa sakteich³ naiN
maiN to maiN meri gard⁴ ko bhi vo paa sakteich naiN
un ke saRkaaN⁵ lambe dhoke⁶, kaale patthar ke dilaaN
meri narmi, sharma-sharmi, mar ku laa sakteich naiN    1.shar-as in Khair o shar, evil 2.sinning 3.sakte hi nahiN – can never achieve/get 4.dust, ‘gard paa nahiN sakna’ is an expression meaning can never catch up 5.roads 6.deception
This is probably a rural-urban divide. Those evil (urban), sinning steps can never set foot on me. Why talk of me, they cannot even catch up with my dust i.e., I leave them behind in the dust. Their (urban) roads are long and deceiving (never know what is next, unfamiliar). Their hearts are hard like dark rock. My softness, suppleness, coyness, they can never achieve even if they give up their lives for it.
14
muNh andhaare¹ aa ko dekho tuur² ban jaati huN maiN
tuur ban jaati huN maiN ji noor³ ban jaati huN maiN    1.before dawn, when it is just dark that you cannot recognize faces 2.mount tuur 3.brilliance
The ‘maiN’ here is the pagDanDi – rural footpath, speaking in the first person. Come over just before dawn, before it is light, and you will see that I shine like the divine brilliance of mount tuur. I become a ribbon of light.
15
nek¹ ho ko bad² ki saathi kaise ho sakti huN maiN
paap³ ke bharpuur⁴ maTke⁵ kaise Dho⁶ sakti huN maiN    1.virtue 2.vice 3.sin, evil 4.bharpur 5.pots 6.haul, carry
The comparison here is with young maidens carrying pots of clean/’virtuous’ water for domestic use. Being virtuous, how can I be a companion of vice (meaning the rural path can never connect with the urban road). How can I carry pots brimming with evil.