Ghalib

leaving and carrying the marks of unfulfilled longing an extinguished candle that finds no place of familiarity unity of senses the mirrored door has opened perfect and imperfect are lost within seeking unraveled the strings of beauty’s veil leaving nothing but threads for those who can see my heart longs to love just one has fallen knowing no reward but the craving for one not a coward of love yet knowing a heart once full of pride has resigned version by dochong jdpsn

not knowing

I don’t profess to know anything, I just only realize that love is fleeting and connecting to that is rare and precious. I will always carry it and will try to honor that love even though it seems painful at times I do know that in the end there is nothing but this love in life dochong, jdpsn

Jagjit Singh

Through a close friend who is a Jain, I discovered the poetry of India. I simultaneously found Ghalib from Robert Bly and my friend Manisha. Through all of this I also discovered Jagjit Singh who revived the Ghazal in India in the late 1950's. I thought I'd share my faviorite Ghazal he has performed with you all. I had the pleasure of attending one of his public concerts in Long Beach, CA back in 2006.

Living incarnation of Rumi

today there is a negative image of Pakistan put forth by John McCain as well as even Barak Obama, yet the greatest saint and performer of the twentieth century lived and prospered there. Nusrat Fateh Ali Kahn, was the greatest sufi vocalist of all time. Here is a sample of what you have been missing by listening exclusively to all that top ten radio. Just know that his music infused mainstream america in the soundtracks of "Dead Man Walking" and "Natural Born Killers" as well as being an inspiration to western artists like Peter Gabriel and Eddie Vedder.

Coleman and Robert

If you have never had the blessing to see Coleman Barks and Robert Bly read poetry together, you should try really hard to find them together. The blessings are infinite.

What Was Said to the Rose

I have had to honor to be in the presence of Coleman Barks and Robett Bly numerous times over the last ten years. They both have allowed us to view the divine. For you who have never ventured into this islamic torrent of love and bliss, have much to learn about the love religion.

CHAIYYA CHAIYYA चैया चैया

I have to admit that the first time I heard this Ghazal sung was in the opening credits for the Spike Lee movie, "Inside Man" in March of 2006. The tune was really loud and catchy and everyone in the thearter was enjoying the song, eventhough it was being sung in Urdu. Inside Man was a 2006 crime-drama film directed by Spike Lee. It stared Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, Willem Dafoe and Jodie Foster. I later discovered from my Indian friends that the song was from the Movie "Dil Se" and had an amazing video to go with it. Dil Se (Hindi: दिल से, Urdu: دل سے, translation: From the Heart) is a 1998 Hindi film directed by Mani Ratnam. I was so taken by the photography and the lyrics that I wanted to understand them. I studied numerous translations of the original "Urdu" and came up with a version that makes the most sense to me in english. It isn't a literary translation, but an attempt to convey the meaining of the poem in english. As-Salāmu `Alaykum (السلام عليكم) by Gulzar music by A. R. Rahman wandering inside love’s shadow with heaven beneath my feet. my head inside the shadow of love... walking within these shadows. floating inside heaven, walking within love's light. there is a friend who hangs on the air like the sweetest perfume, whose utterances are Urdu, a divine language of poetry, she is my evening, my night, my existence. this friend is my beloved! my beloved flirts like a flower, so fragrantly that you may catch her delicate scent. having now transformed into a charm, I hold her near to heart and skin. a simple miracle that sometimes becomes manifest. she is my song, my sacred declaration of faith she resembles a sacred treasure. her song... an ultimate affirmation of devotion... she appears like the dew on morning grass and walks with the garden of heaven beneath her feet, sometimes in the midst of branches, sometimes among the scattered leaves I catch drift of her trail upon the wind! I exist within her gorgeousness. for she is so unpredictable, moving shamelessly from sunlight into shadows. changing her brightly colored garments; I learn to follow this as well. If you aren't a regular fan of Hindi Movies I suggest you broaden your viewing to include of few now and then, and 'Dil Se' would be one I would put on your list. English version by Dochong, JDPSN