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Heer
Poetry
323 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 2012
114 people are currently reading
1559 people want to read
About the author
Waris Shah
5 books58 followersPeer Syed Waris Shah (1722–1798) was a Punjabi Sufi poet of Chisti order, renowned for his contribution to Punjabi literature. He is best known for his seminal work Heer Ranjha, based on the traditional folk tale of Heer and her lover Ranjha. Heer is considered one of the quintessential works of classical Punjabi literature. The story of Heer was also told by several other writers, including notable versions by Damodar Das, Mukbal, and Ahmed Gujjar, but Waris Shah's version is by far the most popular today.
Background
Waris Shah was born in Jandiala Sher Khan, Punjab,(Present day Pakistan) into a reputed Syed family. His father was Gulsher Shah. Waris acknowledged himself as a disciple of Ustad of Kasur. Waris's parents are said to have died when he was young, and he probably received his education at the shrine of his preceptor. After completing his education in Kasur, he moved to Malka Hans, a village twelve kilometers north of Pakpattan. Here he resided in a small room, adjacent to a historic masjid, now called Masjid Waris Shah. His mausoleum is a place of pilgrimage today, especially for those in love. The mausoleum complex was completed in 1978 and is a mixture of the Lahore School and Tughlaq Architecture.
He was a consummate artiste, deeply learned in Islamic and domestic cultural lore. His verse is a treasure-trove of Punjabi phrases, idioms and sayings. His minute and realistic depiction of each detail of Punjabi life and the political situation in the 1700´s remains unique. Of all his works, his version of the legendary romance of Heer is the most outstanding. Heer Waris Shah (or The Romance of Heer Ranjha, written in 1766) is believed to be based on the true account of two star-crossed lovers, who lived during the 16th century. It is also said that Waris Shah sublimated his own unrequited love for a girl (Bhag Bhari) in writing the romance. The amazing poetic mould that he worked within has not been bettered by any of his successors to date. His other famous books are "Ibrat Nama" and "Ushtar Nama". Waris Shah's mausoleum is today a pilgrimage site, especially for those in love.
Background
Waris Shah was born in Jandiala Sher Khan, Punjab,(Present day Pakistan) into a reputed Syed family. His father was Gulsher Shah. Waris acknowledged himself as a disciple of Ustad of Kasur. Waris's parents are said to have died when he was young, and he probably received his education at the shrine of his preceptor. After completing his education in Kasur, he moved to Malka Hans, a village twelve kilometers north of Pakpattan. Here he resided in a small room, adjacent to a historic masjid, now called Masjid Waris Shah. His mausoleum is a place of pilgrimage today, especially for those in love. The mausoleum complex was completed in 1978 and is a mixture of the Lahore School and Tughlaq Architecture.
He was a consummate artiste, deeply learned in Islamic and domestic cultural lore. His verse is a treasure-trove of Punjabi phrases, idioms and sayings. His minute and realistic depiction of each detail of Punjabi life and the political situation in the 1700´s remains unique. Of all his works, his version of the legendary romance of Heer is the most outstanding. Heer Waris Shah (or The Romance of Heer Ranjha, written in 1766) is believed to be based on the true account of two star-crossed lovers, who lived during the 16th century. It is also said that Waris Shah sublimated his own unrequited love for a girl (Bhag Bhari) in writing the romance. The amazing poetic mould that he worked within has not been bettered by any of his successors to date. His other famous books are "Ibrat Nama" and "Ushtar Nama". Waris Shah's mausoleum is today a pilgrimage site, especially for those in love.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
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March 7, 2013its lovely book..
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 9, 2023
Heer Ranjha is a famous Punjabi folktale. It is so famous that it has become part & parcel of Punjabi culture. Its various lyrics turned into proverbs. Many movies & dramas have been made based upon its story.
But there are very few people who have read the original text written by the author. First I tried to read the bare text but I could not grasp the full meaning of stanzas and there were numerous words with meanings i was not acquainted with. Then I started searching for books with Urdu translation & word meanings and found one by Yousaf Misali.
Waris Shah was a magician with words and flow & the composition of stanzas is amazing. Telling such a big story entirely in lyrical form was no doubt a big feast.
One big controversy about this book is that over a period of time many people made additions to this book and it became difficult for compilers to sort out the original text.
At times there is severe bickering between characters of story, most interesting ones are between Ranjha & his sister-in-laws, Qazi & Heer, Sehti & Ranjha etc.
As the author was a graduate of religious madrassah there are numerous references to religious teachings.
But sometimes he becomes so blunt that saying such kind of things would be even unacceptable in this modern day.
It seems that the author was very interested in the psychology of women and at times there are remarks which come under the ambit of misogynism.
But there are very few people who have read the original text written by the author. First I tried to read the bare text but I could not grasp the full meaning of stanzas and there were numerous words with meanings i was not acquainted with. Then I started searching for books with Urdu translation & word meanings and found one by Yousaf Misali.
Waris Shah was a magician with words and flow & the composition of stanzas is amazing. Telling such a big story entirely in lyrical form was no doubt a big feast.
One big controversy about this book is that over a period of time many people made additions to this book and it became difficult for compilers to sort out the original text.
At times there is severe bickering between characters of story, most interesting ones are between Ranjha & his sister-in-laws, Qazi & Heer, Sehti & Ranjha etc.
As the author was a graduate of religious madrassah there are numerous references to religious teachings.
But sometimes he becomes so blunt that saying such kind of things would be even unacceptable in this modern day.
It seems that the author was very interested in the psychology of women and at times there are remarks which come under the ambit of misogynism.
November 4, 2025
Reading Heer Waris Shah felt nostalgic, like revisiting a story that’s been part of our culture forever. It’s the classic tale of Heer Ranjha, told through Punjabi poetry, and while the essence is beautiful, the language is incredibly dense.
I’ve read plenty of Punjabi books before, but this one was on another level. So many words felt unfamiliar, almost ancient. Even as a Punjabi speaker, I often had no clue what Waris Shah meant without looking it up.
To be honest, because I already knew the story so well, it was hard to stay fully engaged. I ended up skipping around, picking the verses that stood out the most. There are moments of brilliance, no doubt, but overall, the poetry sometimes feels forced, more focused on storytelling than poetic rhythm.
If you plan to read it, don’t go in with big expectations. Sit with someone older who really understands classical Punjabi, they’ll help you uncover meanings that might otherwise be lost. It’s worth exploring for its cultural value, but not necessarily for the poetic experience alone.
I’ve read plenty of Punjabi books before, but this one was on another level. So many words felt unfamiliar, almost ancient. Even as a Punjabi speaker, I often had no clue what Waris Shah meant without looking it up.
To be honest, because I already knew the story so well, it was hard to stay fully engaged. I ended up skipping around, picking the verses that stood out the most. There are moments of brilliance, no doubt, but overall, the poetry sometimes feels forced, more focused on storytelling than poetic rhythm.
If you plan to read it, don’t go in with big expectations. Sit with someone older who really understands classical Punjabi, they’ll help you uncover meanings that might otherwise be lost. It’s worth exploring for its cultural value, but not necessarily for the poetic experience alone.
October 17, 2015
Aj aakhan waras shah nun, kiton qabran vichon bol
Te aj kitab e ishq da koi agla warqa phol!!!
Te aj kitab e ishq da koi agla warqa phol!!!
June 6, 2018
Full of love
Amazing writing style by Waris
Wah-wah-wah
Amazing writing style by Waris
Wah-wah-wah
June 20, 2025
ਹੁਕਮ ਮੰਨਕੇ ਸੱਜਣਾਂ ਪਿਆਰਿਆਂ ਦਾ
ਕਿੱਸਾ ਅਜਬ ਬਹਾਰ ਦਾ ਜੋੜਿਆ ਏ
ਫ਼ਿਕਰਾ ਜੋੜਕੇ ਖ਼ੂਬ ਦਰੁਸਤ ਕੀਤਾ
ਨਵਾਂ ਫੁਲ ਗੁਲਾਬ ਦਾ ਤੋੜਿਆ ਏ
ਵਾਰਿਸ ਦੀ ਹੀਰ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਸਾਹਿਤ ਦੀ ਇੱਕ ਮਹਾਨ ਰਚਨਾ ਹੈ। ਇਹ ਕਿੱਸਾ ਕਾਵਿ ਦੀ ਸਭ ਤੋਂ ਹਰਮਨ ਪਿਆਰੀ ਰਚਨਾ ਬਣੀ ਜਿਸ ਨੂੰ ਪੜ੍ਹਨ ਸੁਣਨ ਦੀ ਖਿੱਚ ਹਰ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਵਿੱਚ ਹਮੇਸ਼ਾ ਰਹਿੰਦੀ ਹੈ।
ਕਿੱਸਾ ਅਜਬ ਬਹਾਰ ਦਾ ਜੋੜਿਆ ਏ
ਫ਼ਿਕਰਾ ਜੋੜਕੇ ਖ਼ੂਬ ਦਰੁਸਤ ਕੀਤਾ
ਨਵਾਂ ਫੁਲ ਗੁਲਾਬ ਦਾ ਤੋੜਿਆ ਏ
ਵਾਰਿਸ ਦੀ ਹੀਰ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਸਾਹਿਤ ਦੀ ਇੱਕ ਮਹਾਨ ਰਚਨਾ ਹੈ। ਇਹ ਕਿੱਸਾ ਕਾਵਿ ਦੀ ਸਭ ਤੋਂ ਹਰਮਨ ਪਿਆਰੀ ਰਚਨਾ ਬਣੀ ਜਿਸ ਨੂੰ ਪੜ੍ਹਨ ਸੁਣਨ ਦੀ ਖਿੱਚ ਹਰ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਵਿੱਚ ਹਮੇਸ਼ਾ ਰਹਿੰਦੀ ਹੈ।
July 23, 2019
Love it
November 21, 2019
Jinna padh layi heer, oh ho gaye faqeer. Masterpiece!
Want to read
November 19, 2020Heer
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 27, 2020
Difficult to understand
January 19, 2021
Very nice book
May 29, 2025
ਯਾਰਾਂ ਅਸਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਆਣ ਸਵਾਲ ਕੀਤਾ
ਕਿੱਸਾ ਹੀਰ ਦਾ ਨਵਾਂ ਬਣਾਈਏ ਜੀ
ਏਸ ਪ੍ਰੇਮ ਦੀ ਝੋਕ ਦਾ ਸਭ ਕਿੱਸਾ
ਜੀਭ ਸੁਹਣੀ ਨਾਲ ਸੁਣਾਈਏ ਜੀ
Sukhan Da Waris
ਕਿੱਸਾ ਹੀਰ ਦਾ ਨਵਾਂ ਬਣਾਈਏ ਜੀ
ਏਸ ਪ੍ਰੇਮ ਦੀ ਝੋਕ ਦਾ ਸਭ ਕਿੱਸਾ
ਜੀਭ ਸੁਹਣੀ ਨਾਲ ਸੁਣਾਈਏ ਜੀ
Sukhan Da Waris
July 21, 2016
Shakespeare of East.
Want to read
April 14, 20171st page
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews