Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Love like the dawn-bird aching all night for the sunrise, or the cuckoo singing its heart out for the mango tree.
Remember, we're each just here for one short night — we come with nothing and leave with nothing — so pour that little time into love, or you'll miss the dawn.
The chakvi (a bird said to pine for its mate all night, longing for the dawn) and the cuckoo singing for the mango tree — love as aching through the dark for the light to come. Then the Chhant turns gently serious: everyone is a guest for a single night; naked we come and naked we go. This isn't gloom — it's clarity about why love matters so much: our time here is short, we take none of our stuff with us, so the one thing worth pouring the brief night into is love. Otherwise, how will you behold the dawn? Love is how a short night opens onto morning.
If your time were short and precious, what would you want to fill it with?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI