Every moment love’s a new surge of spring

By Bulleh Shah

Every moment love’s a new surge of spring
The lesson of love-rapture when first I read
The mosque my heart began to dread
Into the Thakur’s abode I fled
Where a thousand conches sing

Every moment love’s a new surge of spring
When the ways of love-rapture I gained
Differences of me and you were not sustained
The shell and pith were washed clean, unstained
Wherever I look the Friend is befriending

Every moment love’s a new surge of spring
Heer-Raanjha came into fusion
Erring Heer search in the moors had begun
In her shawl frolicks beloved Raanjhan
I have no sense now, nor that awareness thing

Every moment love’s a new surge of spring
Reading, re-reading the Qur’an, Vedas, scholars are tired
Marks on foreheads by myriad rubdowns are sired
God’s not in Mecca nor in holy shrines mired
Once light enters the heart it’ll forever ring

Every moment love’s a new surge of spring
Burn down the prayer-mat, crack the ablutions vessel!
Forsake the rosary, the priest’s scepter, his cudgel!
Hear the Love-raptured declare from the heart and yell
“Give up sanctioned fare, take to carrion eating!”

Every moment love’s a new surge of spring
A lifetime wasted in the mosque
The pith a profane, brimming cask
Never Unity focus of the praying-flask
Now why the raving, ranting?

Every moment love’s a new surge of spring
Love-rapture made me forget prostrations before You
Now why the shrewish wrangles construe?
Long silent Bullha to silence says adieu
He’s in raptures! loving and loving

Every moment love’s a new surge of spring

Extract from, “Bulleh Shah Within Reach” by Muzaffar A Ghaffaar, part of the Masterworks of Punjaabi Sufi Poetry series.