Verse 315 of 450
Salok Sheikh Farid, Salok 14 — what dazzles does not stay
ਫਰੀਦਾ ਜਿਨ੍ਹ੍ਹ ਲੋਇਣ ਜਗੁ ਮੋਹਿਆ ਸੇ ਲੋਇਣ ਮੈ ਡਿਠੁ ॥
fareedaa jinH lo-in jag mohi-aa say lo-in mai dith.
Fareed, those eyes which have enticed the world - I have seen those eyes.
ਕਜਲ ਰੇਖ ਨ ਸਹਦਿਆ ਸੇ ਪੰਖੀ ਸੂਇ ਬਹਿਠੁ ॥੧੪॥
kajal raykh na sehdi-aa say pankhee soo-ay bahith. ||14||
Once, they could not endure even a bit of mascara; now, the birds hatch their young in them! ||14||
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Farid says: I have seen the eyes that charmed the whole world.
Once they could not bear even a line of eyeliner; now birds hatch their young in them.
What dazzles the world does not stay.
Even the most beautiful eyes do not last; the body returns to the earth.
Lo-in jag mohi-aa: eyes that charmed the world. Kajal raykh na sahdi-aa: they could not bear even a thin line of kajal, eyeliner. Say pankhee soo-ay bahith: now birds sit there and hatch their young. It is a picture of a body left behind long ago, become a place where birds nest. It is strong on purpose, to turn the heart toward what lasts.
A Question to Sit With
What about a person stays beautiful as they grow old?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI
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