ਰਾਗੁ ਸੋਰਠਿ ਬਾਣੀ ਭਗਤ ਭੀਖਨ ਕੀ
raag sorath banee bhagat bheekhan kee
Raag Sorat'h, The Word Of Devotee Bheekhan Jee:
ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥
ik-oNkaar satgur parsaad.
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
ਨੈਨਹੁ ਨੀਰੁ ਬਹੈ ਤਨੁ ਖੀਨਾ ਭਏ ਕੇਸ ਦੁਧ ਵਾਨੀ ॥
nainhu neer bahai tan kheenaa bha-ay kays duDh vaanee.
Tears well up in my eyes, my body has become weak, and my hair has become milky-white.
ਰੂਧਾ ਕੰਠੁ ਸਬਦੁ ਨਹੀ ਉਚਰੈ ਅਬ ਕਿਆ ਕਰਹਿ ਪਰਾਨੀ ॥੧॥
rooDhaa kanth sabad nahee uchrai ab ki-aa karahi paraanee. ||1||
My throat is tight, and I cannot utter even one word; what can I do now? I am a mere mortal. ||1||
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
The years have gathered in me now, my eyes grow moist, my strength has thinned, and my hair has turned soft and white as milk.
My voice comes rough and quiet, the old songs harder to sing, and I wonder aloud, what shall I do now, small and mortal as I am?
Growing older is part of being human, and it can be met with tenderness.
Bhikhan opens with the honest picture of a body growing old. The project holds this gently: the aging is real and named tenderly, milk-white hair, a tired voice, but it is not made frightening. It is the true human condition that the healing of the next verses will meet with hope.
A Question to Sit With
What do you notice, and love, about the older people in your life?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI
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