Sher 4 (the Sufi Turn) lyrics

Alaap (harmonium, slow)

Prelude (harmonium, slow)

Aa… aa… Ya Hu… Ya Hu…

Ah... ah... O He... O He...

Mukhda (repeated by the chorus, with tali)

Chorus (repeated by the chorus, with claps)

Maut aayi, boli: "Chal, ab tera waqt poora hua"

Death came, saying: "Come, your time is now complete"

Main ne kaha: "Ruk ja zara… woh abhi aaya nahi"

I said: "Wait a moment... he hasn't come yet"

Ve maut, ruk ja zara… oh hale aaya nahin

Oh Death, wait a moment... he hasn't come yet

Sher 1

Couplet 1

Hum ne saari umr diya jala ke rakha dehleez par

All my life I kept a lamp lit on the threshold

Hawa bhi aayi, ghata bhi aayi, bas wohi aaya nahi

The wind came, the clouds came, but only he did not come

Sher 2

Couplet 2

Zakhm ne to roz aa kar haal poocha hai, magar

The wound has come daily to ask how I am, but

Jis ne ye zakhm diya, woh poochhne aaya nahi

He who gave this wound, he did not come to ask

Sher 3 (Punjabi, folk tone)

Couplet 3 (Punjabi, folk tone)

Raat bhar charkha kattya, rooh da dhaaga mukk gaya

All night I spun the wheel, the thread of my soul ran out

Dhaage mukke, raatan mukkiyan, maahi aaya nahin

Threads ran out, nights ended, but my beloved did not come

Sher 4 (the Sufi turn)

Couplet 4 (the Sufi turn)

Main ne khud ko khaak kiya, jab "main" ka parda uth gaya

I turned myself to dust, when the veil of "I" was lifted

Phir bhi parde ke us paar se, tu aaya nahi

Still, from beyond that veil, you did not come

Bol-bant (fast, back-and-forth between lead and chorus)

Call-and-response (fast, back-and-forth between lead and chorus)

Aaya nahi… aaya nahi…

Did not come... did not come...

Aane ko hai, ya aa ke bhi, aaya nahi?

Is he about to come, or even after coming, did he not come?

Aaya nahi… aaya nahi…

Did not come... did not come...

Poochh us se jo har dar pe jaa ke, laut aaya… nahi

Ask him who went to every door, and returned... no

Sher 5 (slows right down, almost whispered)

Couplet 5 (slows right down, almost whispered)

Kehte hain jise dhoondo, woh andar hi milta hai

They say, whom you seek, you find within

Andar bhi dekha, bahar bhi, dono jagah paaya nahi

I looked inside, and outside too, found him in neither place

Final sher (the twist)

Final couplet (the twist)

Aaj jo aankh nam hui, to dil ne chupke se kaha

Today, when my eyes became wet, my heart secretly said