Pray, what use vouching witless words so vain?
For men to tread only two tracks seem sane:
Youthful beauty’s well-bestowed a bosom,
Retire or else to woods, make ho nor hum.
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Translation(quatrain) | 21.08.2025 | men, romance, women, forest
Note: Here is a verse from Bhartrihari’s Shringaara Shatakam (hundred verses on love and romance) in this case in Maalinee meter. It says, let us cut down all words of wisdom so vain. When it comes to bare basics, there are only two ways in this world well their worth for a man to pursue, both as last resorts: a youthful beauty’s well-bestowed bosom, or retiring to forest, far from the madding crowd as they say. Note the rhyming assonance and alliteration: yauvanam va vanam va. Here is transliteration of the verse:
Kim iha bahubhih uktaih yukti-shunyaih pralaapaih
Dvayam iha purushaanaam sarvadaa sevaneeyam ||
Abhinava mada-leelaa-laalasam sundareenaam
Stana-bhara parikhinnam yauvanam vaa vanam vaa || 72 ||
Hamain dramaybaz kehnay walo
Ham dramaybaz sahi tum batao tum kya ho?
Kya tum Auliya ho?
Kya tum malaika ho?
Kya tum pakbazi kay mujasmay ho?
Kya tum sadiq-o-ameen ho?
Kya tum hidayat ki talqeen ho?
Kya tum pholon ki mehak ho?
Kya tum kanton bhara chaman ho?
Kya tum shanti-o-aman ho?
Kya tum thark ki dukan ho?
Kya tum chaskon kay pehalwan ho?
Kya tum nafsaniyat ka tofan ho?
Kya tum bay hodgi ka imkan ho?
Tum munafiq ho ya musalman ho?
Hamain dramaybaz kehnay walo
Tum batao tum kya ho?
Note. Crows calling us black.