The Second Period of Kashmiri Poetry

Habba Khotan or Khatun

1. I shall bestrew the meadows with flowers for thee.

                     Come! My love of flowers !

              2)    Come! Thou, O my darling! Let us collect Jessamine,

                      For none doth return after death.

                     I am waiting for thee.

                    Come! My love of flowers

3) Come! My dear, come!

             Let us be off to the meadows to collect flowers.

           My beloved is sulking.

            And keeping himself away in the remote regions.

Come! My love of flowers.

4) Come! My dear, come ! let us go out to collect lettuces.

The people are speaking ill of me,

But who can alter one’s destiny?

Come! My love for flowers.

5) Come! Thou, my beloved! Let us go to the river bank.

The whole world is enveloped in deep slumber,

But I am waiting for a reply from thee!

Come! My lover of flowers

Khwaja Habibullah Nau-shahri

  1) My beloved, let us go to see the Fair;

Get up, friend and let us be off to the Fair.

2) He manifested Himself in many a beautiful form

He assumed the name of Muhammad,

So let us be off to the Fair.

3) He shone forth saying:

‘I was a hidden treasure.’

So! We were so close to You’

So let us be off to the Fair.

4)From far off he shot at me arrows of fascination,

Then ran away having injured my heart.

O, the charm of his looking back!

He saw me and yet pretended not to know

Mrs Bhawani Das Kachru (Shrimati Arani-Mal)

My wheel, don’t make noise

I will soon anoint you with scent.

Raise thy head, out of mud, O Hyacinth;

I, thy Narcissus, am waiting for thee with goblets in my hands.

I am like bush of Jessamine;

Never to blossom again!

I will soon anoint you with scent, my wheel

From head to foot

I am filled with love of thee;

I have no sleep! My fair one!

I will lay bare my heart unto you,

And fall to the ground like the leave of a wild bush.

I will cling to you like a charm on your arm.

I have no sleep! My fair-one!

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