Ang 1379

Fareed, those eyes which have enticed the world — I have seen those eyes. Once, they could not endure even a bit of mascara; now, the birds hatch their young in them! ||14|| Fareed, they shouted and yelled, and constantly gave good advice. But those whom the devil has spoiled — how can they turn their consciousness towards God? ||15|| Fareed, become the grass on the path, if you long for the Lord of all. One will cut you down, and another will trample you underfoot; then, you shall enter the Court of the Lord. ||16|| Fareed, do not slander the dust; noting is as great as dust. When we are alive, it is under our feet, and when we are dead, it is above us. ||17|| Fareed, when there is greed, what love can there be? When there is greed, love is false. How long can one remain in a thatched hut which leaks when it rains? ||18|| Fareed, why do you wander from jungle to jungle, crashing through the thorny trees? The Lord abides in the heart; why are you looking for Him in the jungle? ||19|| Fareed, with these small legs, I crossed deserts and mountains. But today, Fareed, my water jug seems hundreds of miles away. ||20|| Fareed, the nights are long, and my sides are aching in pain. Cursed are the lives of those who place their hopes in others. ||21|| Fareed, if I had been there when my friend came, I would have made myself a sacrifice to him. Now my flesh is burning red on the hot coals. ||22|| Fareed, the farmer plants acacia trees, and wishes for grapes. He is spinning wool, but he wishes to wear silk. ||23|| Fareed, the path is muddy, and the house of my Beloved is so far away. If I go out, my blanket will get soaked, but if I remain at home, then my heart will be broken. ||24|| My blanket is soaked, drenched with the downpour of the Lord’s Rain. I am going out to meet my Friend, so that my heart will not be broken. ||25|| Fareed, I was worried that my turban might become dirty. My thoughtless self did not realize that one day, dust will consume my head as well. ||26||

Fareed: sugar cane, candy, sugar, molasses, honey and buffalo’s milk — all these things are sweet, but they are not equal to You. ||27|| Fareed, my bread is made of wood, and hunger is my appetizer. Those who eat buttered bread, will suffer in terrible pain. ||28|| Eat dry bread, and drink cold water. Fareed, if you see someone else’s buttered bread, do not envy him for it. ||29|| This night, I did not sleep with my Husband Lord, and now my body is suffering in pain. Go and ask the deserted bride, how she passes her night. ||30|| She finds no place of rest in her father-in-law’s home, and no place in her parents’ home either. Her Husband Lord does not care for her; what sort of a blessed, happy soul-bride is she? ||31|| In her father-in-law’s home hereafter, and in her parents’ home in this world, she belongs to her Husband Lord. Her Husband is Inaccessible and Unfathomable. O Nanak, she is the happy soul-bride, who is pleasing to her Carefree Lord. ||32|| Bathing, washing and decorating herself, she comes and sleeps without anxiety. Fareed, she still smells like asafoetida; the fragrance of musk is gone. ||33|| I am not afraid of losing my youth, as long as I do not lose the Love of my Husband Lord. Fareed, so many youths, without His Love, have dried up and withered away. ||34|| Fareed, anxiety is my bed, pain is my mattress, and the pain of separation is my blanket and quilt. Behold, this is my life, O my True Lord and Master. ||35|| Many talk of the pain and suffering of separation; O pain, you are the ruler of all. Fareed, that body, within which love of the Lord does not well up — look upon that body as a cremation ground. ||36|| Fareed, these are poisonous sprouts coated with sugar. Some die planting them, and some are ruined, harvesting and enjoying them. ||37|| Fareed, the hours of the day are lost wandering around, and the hours of the night are lost in sleep. God will call for your account, and ask you why you came into this world. ||38|| Fareed, you have gone to the Lord’s Door. Have you seen the gong there? This blameless object is being beaten — imagine what is in store for us sinners! ||39||

Each and every hour, it is beaten; it is punished every day. This beautiful body is like the gong; it passes the night in pain. ||40|| Shaykh Fareed has grown old, and his body has begun to tremble. Even if he could live for hundreds of years, his body will eventually turn to dust. ||41|| Fareed begs, O Lord, do not make me sit at another’s door. If this is the way you are going to keep me, then go ahead and take the life out of my body. ||42|| With the axe on his shoulder, and a bucket on his head, the blacksmith is ready to cut down the tree. Fareed, I long for my Lord; you long only for the charcoal. ||43|| Fareed, some have lots of flour, while others do not even have salt. When they go beyond this world, it shall be seen, who will be punished. ||44|| Drums were beaten in their honor, there were canopies above their heads, and bugles announced their coming. They have gone to sleep in the cemetary, buried like poor orphans. ||45|| Fareed, those who built houses, mansions and lofty buildings, are also gone. They made false deals, and were dropped into their graves. ||46|| Fareed, there are many seams on the patched coat, but there are no seams on the soul. The shaykhs and their disciples have all departed, each in his own turn. ||47|| Fareed, the two lamps are lit, but death has come anyway. It has captured the fortress of the body, and plundered the home of the heart; it extinguishes the lamps and departs. ||48|| Fareed, look at what has happened to the cotton and the sesame seed, the sugar cane and paper, the clay pots and the charcoal. This is the punishment for those who do evil deeds. ||49|| Fareed, you wear your prayer shawl on your shoulders and the robes of a Sufi; your words are sweet, but there is a dagger in your heart. Outwardly, you look bright, but your heart is dark as night. ||50|| Fareed, not even a drop of blood would issue forth, if someone cut my body. Those bodies which are imbued with the Lord — those bodies contain no blood. ||51||