“Maye Ni Main Kinu Aakhan” is a foundational spiritual poem by the 16th-century Sufi master Shah Hussain. Often referred to as the “Kalam of Separation,” it captures the raw intensity of the soul’s longing for the Divine through the metaphor of Heer’s devotion to Ranjha. The poet describes a state of spiritual intoxication where the pain of separation becomes a consuming fire, ultimately leading to the realization that the Beloved is not found in external wilderness but resides within the seeker’s own heart.
مائے نی میں کہنوں آکھاں
درد وچھوڑے دا حال
دھواں دھکھے میرے مرشد والا
جاں پھولاں تاں لال
Maye ni main kinu aakhan
Dard vichore da haal
Dhuwan dhukhe mere murshad wala
Jaan pholan taan laal
O mother, to whom shall I tell
The state of the pain of separation?
A fire lit by my Master smolders within
When I stir the ashes, I find red embers.
سولاں مار دیوانی کیتی
برہوں پیا ساڈے خیال
دکھاں دی روٹی، سولاں دا سالن
آہیں دا بالن بال
Soolan maar deewani keti
Birhon piya sade khayal
Dukhan di roti, soolan da saalan
Aahin da baalan baal
Thorns of grief have made me mad
Separation has consumed my thoughts
Pain is my bread, thorns are my condiment
And I burn the fuel of my sighs.
جنگل بیلے پھراں ڈھونڈیندی
اجے نہ پایو لال
رانجھن رانجھن پھراں ڈھونڈیندی
رانجھن میرے نال
Jungle bele phiran dhondendi
Aje na payo laal
Ranjhan Ranjhan phiran dhondendi
Ranjhan mere naal
Through forests and wastes I wander searching
But I have not yet found my precious Jewel
I go about crying “Ranjha, Ranjha”
While my Ranjha is actually here with me.
کہے حسین فقیر نمانا
شوہ ملے تاں تھیواں نہال
Kahe Hussain faqir numana
Shoh mile taan thewan nihal
Says Hussain, the humble dervish
If I find the Lord, I shall be blissful.
Vocabulary: Maye Ni Main Kinu Aakhan
- Vichora: Separation / Parting.
- Soolan: Thorns / Sharp pains.
- Birhon: The fire of longing or separation.
- Baalan: Fuel for a fire.
- Bele: Riverine forests or wilderness.
- Nihal: Exalted / Overjoyed / Prosperous.
- Shoh: Husband / Beloved / Lord.