Two of my favorite Nusrat classics, Tumhein Dillagi Bhool and Mast Naszron Say illuminate each other nicely: Tumhein dillagi bhool Translation (modified from Sur Street) and transliteration: Chorus: Tumhein dillagi bhool jani pare gi Tumhein dillagi bhool jani pare gi Muhabbat ki raahon mein aa kar to dekho You will have to forget about playing…
Rumi-I am not wandering aimlessly
Translation: by Farah Aziz No I am not roaming aimlessly through the alleys and bazaar I am a lover searching for his beloved God have mercy on me I am walking around troubled I have done wrong and sinned and am walking around wounded I have drunk the wine of desire and am walking around lovelorn Though…
Amir Khusro in Love
Main To Piya Se Naina Laga Aayi Re Translation: Hey, I’ve just had an affair with my darling, Don’t care what the neighbourhood girls say; Just had an affair with my darling. Oh, his beautiful face, charming like an idol, I’ve just made a place in the bottom of his heart. I, Khusrau, give…
It’s Spring Again!
Amir Khusro wrote several poems about Basant, a pre-Islamic Panjabi/South Asian/Hindu festival celebrating the arrival of spring by flying kites, wearing yellow, carrying yellow flowers. A legend goes that Amir Khusro’s shaykh, Nizamuddin, was mourning the death of his nephew when Amir Khusro came with a whole Basant procession to cheer him up. Chisti Sufis have…
Hazrat ‘Alī in Nusrat’s Qawwals
Many of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s greatest qawwal performances feature lyrics about ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib, probably originally deriving from the song, “Man Kuntu Mawla,” attributed to Amir Khusrow (d. 1325). Bulleh Shah (d. 1757) is said to have modified this song to create the popular qawwal “Mast Qalandar” in honor of the Sufi saint…