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Bulleh Shah: A Selection
This book is a collection of poems by the great Sufi poet of Punjab, Bulleh Shah (16801758), translated into English by Taufiq Rafat, one of Pakistan's premier English language poets.
Born Abdullah Shah, Bulleh Shah belonged to the oral tradition and his poems are primarily in Punjabi as well as in Siraiki. Bulleh Shahs poetry is in the Kafi style, already established with the Sufis who preceded him, and extensively use the Rubbay (quatrain) form. Several of his verses are an integral part of the traditional repertoire of Qawwali, the musical genre which represents the devotional music of the Sufis. Following the tradition of Sufi poetry, the poems in this collection refer to love of or for God, or the Mentor, or the desire for absorption in nature, described through symbolic references to local customs pertaining to weddings, funerals, journeys, and harvests.
Born Abdullah Shah, Bulleh Shah belonged to the oral tradition and his poems are primarily in Punjabi as well as in Siraiki. Bulleh Shahs poetry is in the Kafi style, already established with the Sufis who preceded him, and extensively use the Rubbay (quatrain) form. Several of his verses are an integral part of the traditional repertoire of Qawwali, the musical genre which represents the devotional music of the Sufis. Following the tradition of Sufi poetry, the poems in this collection refer to love of or for God, or the Mentor, or the desire for absorption in nature, described through symbolic references to local customs pertaining to weddings, funerals, journeys, and harvests.
252 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1982
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814 people want to read
About the author
Bulleh Shah
18 books107 followersBulleh Shah (1680–1757) (Punjabi: بلہے شاہ, ਬੁੱਲ੍ਹੇ ਸ਼ਾਹ) was a Punjabi Sufi poet, humanist and philosopher. His full name was Abdullah Shah.
The verse form Bulleh Shah primarily employed is called the Kafi, a style of Punjabi, Sindhi and Saraiki poetry used not only by the Sufis of Sindh and Punjab, but also by Sikh gurus.
Bulleh Shah’s poetry and philosophy strongly criticizes the Islamic religious orthodoxy of his day.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulleh_Shah
The verse form Bulleh Shah primarily employed is called the Kafi, a style of Punjabi, Sindhi and Saraiki poetry used not only by the Sufis of Sindh and Punjab, but also by Sikh gurus.
Bulleh Shah’s poetry and philosophy strongly criticizes the Islamic religious orthodoxy of his day.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulleh_Shah
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
April 9, 2022
A functional translation of selected works of Bulleh Shah aimed to communicate some meaning of Bulleh Shah's verse to a non-Punjabi audience. However, Bulleh's verse is inundated with meaning and cultural and religious themes and signifiers that a simple translation will never be able to articulate. What is particularly useful is the introduction chapter on Bulleh Shah that helps the reader situate Bulleh Shah's poetry within not just the wider cultural and political context of the times he lived in, but also his positioning vis-à-vis the world of sufi literature in which he is often relegated to. As the author notes, simply calling Bulleh Shah just a sufi poet is to miss a whole sleuth of characteristics that set him apart from other poets of the pre-Colonial subcontinent and the wider world of Muslims, and the specificity of his thinking situated in the context of the subcontinent with its kaleidoscope of ethno-religious influences. Wish a proper biography and literary analysis of this great poet emerges one day.
November 30, 2019
I read the poetry in punjabi along with english which is why I felt the english translation( or as the author calls it rendition) was flat and flavourless but I dont blame the author for that the language itself cannot really contain the richness that a punjabi prose otherwise holds.
The beginning forward summaraizng Bulleh Shahs life, inspirations and subcontinents sufi history was new for me and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Lastly I really enjoyed reading some of the poetry and then listening to its musical adaptations.
The beginning forward summaraizng Bulleh Shahs life, inspirations and subcontinents sufi history was new for me and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Lastly I really enjoyed reading some of the poetry and then listening to its musical adaptations.
July 17, 2024
This book reminds me of what my English Writing Professor at university said. He said to go beyond the English and get inspiration from works in other languages. It shows you that there is an entire world out there in a different language, and that there are so many shared truths between all these different literatures. It’s beautiful, empowering, and just fascinating.
And if you happen to stumble upon Bulleh Shah, it’s even better. The level of humanity, tolerance, love, and kindness that this man exhibited is mind-blowing. Despite being raised in a stratified society, Bulleh Shah breaks these arbitrary boundaries, pointing to our shared universal humanity. His conviction, his strength, and his love for all that is just and beautiful shines in his writing, and you can’t help but feel like a different person once you’re finished with his work.
However, I also think that Bulleh Shah is not meant to be read, but felt. I don’t think sufficient translations exist for the multi-entendre nature of Bulleh Shah’s Punjabi poetry. Reading any English translation would just acquaintance you with part of the essence. The true essence in Bulleh Shah’s works comes from reciting the Punjabi text, singing it out loud, listening to it, feeling the emotion in each Kafi, contemplating the meaning, assessing its impact on our souls and the world, but no work of translation could ever achieve that essence :(
Nevertheless, if you ever get the chance to read Bulleh Shah, you should definitely jump the chance because even an English translation of his works can definitely change you as a person, which is really what good art is in the end :)
And if you happen to stumble upon Bulleh Shah, it’s even better. The level of humanity, tolerance, love, and kindness that this man exhibited is mind-blowing. Despite being raised in a stratified society, Bulleh Shah breaks these arbitrary boundaries, pointing to our shared universal humanity. His conviction, his strength, and his love for all that is just and beautiful shines in his writing, and you can’t help but feel like a different person once you’re finished with his work.
However, I also think that Bulleh Shah is not meant to be read, but felt. I don’t think sufficient translations exist for the multi-entendre nature of Bulleh Shah’s Punjabi poetry. Reading any English translation would just acquaintance you with part of the essence. The true essence in Bulleh Shah’s works comes from reciting the Punjabi text, singing it out loud, listening to it, feeling the emotion in each Kafi, contemplating the meaning, assessing its impact on our souls and the world, but no work of translation could ever achieve that essence :(
Nevertheless, if you ever get the chance to read Bulleh Shah, you should definitely jump the chance because even an English translation of his works can definitely change you as a person, which is really what good art is in the end :)
January 20, 2020
The Punjabi bits outshone the translation because the essence of Bulleh Shah was lost in translations despite the translator's best effort.
November 18, 2021
These poems were so pretty. Each poetry touched my heart a lot and I loved it a lot although some poems were a little confusing and I felt a little lost. I didn't think this was the best poetry that I ever read but a lot of the poems were on the partition of India and Pakistan that were nice and emotional too. Hope to read more books by Bulleh Shah.
March 25, 2026
This book is magnificent, although I need to read the Introduction to fully appreciate it.
Bulleh Shah was a mystic poet of what is now Pakistan during the 1600s - 1700s, and in my opinion he is the greatest poet of the human race. Even today, his name and work inspire popular songs in India and Pakistan as the mystical patron of love.
However, there is a challenge - Bulleya is actually very difficult to research and study. Punjabi itself has a rather scanty written literature - aside from modern Punjab state in India - because it is primarily a spoken rather than a written language, overshadowed by Persian and Sanskrit in Pakistan of the past and in Urdu in present-day Pakistan. Bulleya's work is several centuries removed from the speech of contemporary Pakistani Punjabis, who are also generally unable to read Punjabi. Bulleya himself is a mystical poet whose work refers back to both early modern rural life in the waning days of the Mughal Punjab and is chock full of references to Persian mystical poetry. Apparently, in the nearly 3 centuries since he died there have been a grand total of . . . four-ish (?) written compilations of his poetry EVER produced.
All this is to say that the translator didn't really have a lot to work with when he was putting this together. Taufiq Rafat explained that for translating poetry, he has tried to rewrite the poem in English rather than utterly devote himself to the syntax and literal wording of the Punjabi. So much would be lost or incomprehensible to the English reader, the chains of 10+ rhymes in a row would sound impossibly forced; the third-person addresses and the interpretations of Arabic letters and the references to rural 18th century Punjabi wedding customs might become hard to keep track of. When you read these poems and listen to the rhyme/meter, it helps if you remember that the rhymes were prepared by a Pakistani man who studied BBC English.
This is all very important note for when you read these poems, because you will notice some modernisms. When I first got this book I opened it up and flipped through, and was honestly a bit bothered by it; having read the translator's note, I can appreciate this artistic choice to make this more comprehensible for me. The translator openly admits that this is not a scholarly philological version - though the original Punjabi is on the facing page for anyone who REALLY wants to try - this is essentially the first version of Bulleya's poetry published in English, and meant to sound good in English.
And does it sound good!
OBFUSCATION
Talk only of God, the rest is merely chatter
Though scholar and priest have tried to confuse the matter.
THE TRANSFORMATION
“Ranjha, Ranjha” I cried till only Ranjha is there?
I’m transformed, now Heer has disappeared.
We are synonymous: one heart, a single thought.
I am expunged, and Ranjha stands out clear.
Since he is inside me, he is all that exists
That which I show to the world is just veneer.
Don the sackloth, throw the white robes away
For they are covered with stains who whiteness wear.
Hazara calls me, in Sial no friends are near
“Ranjha, Ranjha” I cried till only Ranjha is here.
Bulleh Shah was a mystic poet of what is now Pakistan during the 1600s - 1700s, and in my opinion he is the greatest poet of the human race. Even today, his name and work inspire popular songs in India and Pakistan as the mystical patron of love.
However, there is a challenge - Bulleya is actually very difficult to research and study. Punjabi itself has a rather scanty written literature - aside from modern Punjab state in India - because it is primarily a spoken rather than a written language, overshadowed by Persian and Sanskrit in Pakistan of the past and in Urdu in present-day Pakistan. Bulleya's work is several centuries removed from the speech of contemporary Pakistani Punjabis, who are also generally unable to read Punjabi. Bulleya himself is a mystical poet whose work refers back to both early modern rural life in the waning days of the Mughal Punjab and is chock full of references to Persian mystical poetry. Apparently, in the nearly 3 centuries since he died there have been a grand total of . . . four-ish (?) written compilations of his poetry EVER produced.
All this is to say that the translator didn't really have a lot to work with when he was putting this together. Taufiq Rafat explained that for translating poetry, he has tried to rewrite the poem in English rather than utterly devote himself to the syntax and literal wording of the Punjabi. So much would be lost or incomprehensible to the English reader, the chains of 10+ rhymes in a row would sound impossibly forced; the third-person addresses and the interpretations of Arabic letters and the references to rural 18th century Punjabi wedding customs might become hard to keep track of. When you read these poems and listen to the rhyme/meter, it helps if you remember that the rhymes were prepared by a Pakistani man who studied BBC English.
This is all very important note for when you read these poems, because you will notice some modernisms. When I first got this book I opened it up and flipped through, and was honestly a bit bothered by it; having read the translator's note, I can appreciate this artistic choice to make this more comprehensible for me. The translator openly admits that this is not a scholarly philological version - though the original Punjabi is on the facing page for anyone who REALLY wants to try - this is essentially the first version of Bulleya's poetry published in English, and meant to sound good in English.
And does it sound good!
OBFUSCATION
Talk only of God, the rest is merely chatter
Though scholar and priest have tried to confuse the matter.
THE TRANSFORMATION
“Ranjha, Ranjha” I cried till only Ranjha is there?
I’m transformed, now Heer has disappeared.
We are synonymous: one heart, a single thought.
I am expunged, and Ranjha stands out clear.
Since he is inside me, he is all that exists
That which I show to the world is just veneer.
Don the sackloth, throw the white robes away
For they are covered with stains who whiteness wear.
Hazara calls me, in Sial no friends are near
“Ranjha, Ranjha” I cried till only Ranjha is here.
March 24, 2022
Something I noticed about Bulleh Shah's writing is that it is absolutely timeless. To think that these words were written in 1600s and resonate even today is mind-blowing and refreshing to know for someone like myself. His work has helped me discover this entire world of sufism and poetry that transcends time and is not held back by religion. It is relatable on so many levels and for so many people regardless of whether it was written in order to express love for God or a higher being.
I was very impressed to read his work on spirituality and religion because I had the misunderstanding that it maybe too constrained or limited but that was not the case at all. Bulleh Shah's perspective of spirituality is inviting, it feels safe and non-threatening. As someone who holds so many of the same values about religion, I was really happy to have come across this work of art. It has given me an avenue to dig deeper into his work and Sufism as a school of thought. This book to me felt like a beginning because it transported me into a very welcoming form of poetry that I resonated with deeply.
As someone who had to mostly rely on the english translation, I acknowledge that so much of the essence was lost in translation because Punjabi is a much more expressive language than English but despite the language gap, this translation by Taufiq Rafat was cleverly executed. It flowed really well and did not fail to carry over the essence of the original prose. If you are into poetry and would like to explore sufism through poetry then this is the book for you.
I was very impressed to read his work on spirituality and religion because I had the misunderstanding that it maybe too constrained or limited but that was not the case at all. Bulleh Shah's perspective of spirituality is inviting, it feels safe and non-threatening. As someone who holds so many of the same values about religion, I was really happy to have come across this work of art. It has given me an avenue to dig deeper into his work and Sufism as a school of thought. This book to me felt like a beginning because it transported me into a very welcoming form of poetry that I resonated with deeply.
As someone who had to mostly rely on the english translation, I acknowledge that so much of the essence was lost in translation because Punjabi is a much more expressive language than English but despite the language gap, this translation by Taufiq Rafat was cleverly executed. It flowed really well and did not fail to carry over the essence of the original prose. If you are into poetry and would like to explore sufism through poetry then this is the book for you.
June 18, 2023
Bullen Shah was literally out there spitting facts 300 years ago 💯💯
Also, the rhyming scheme was immaculate 💪🏼 props to the translator, I’m sure it wasn’t easy trying to capture the true essence of the original punjabi poem.
Also, the rhyming scheme was immaculate 💪🏼 props to the translator, I’m sure it wasn’t easy trying to capture the true essence of the original punjabi poem.
January 22, 2023
really beautiful.
July 26, 2015
3* for the translation
5* for Bulleh Shah, the greatest of the Punjabi Sufi poets to have come from pre-colonial India.
5* for Bulleh Shah, the greatest of the Punjabi Sufi poets to have come from pre-colonial India.
March 28, 2017
A brief but wonderful book. Strongest side of book is to explain various terms used by Bulleh Shah with respect to local traditions. Only this makes real sense and understanding of his poetry.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews