The legends of the Panjâb

THE SONG OF NEG BAHADUR. 403
25 The lamp-black in thine eyes, Bahadur, and the beauty
of thy face have devoured me.
Great love (for thee), Bahadur, and the devotion of
(every) moment and hour devours me.
I will sow sarson* in Dehli, and rat* in front of Dehli.f
Another has eaten the half-cooked relish ; I have been
disgraced.
The flower bloomed on high, and on high it withered.
30 Had it been my lot, it would have fallen quickly (into
my lap)J.
Cuckoo ! sitting on the branch of the walnut tree :
Why should I waste the day in the (useless) hope of
my beloved, Bahadur
The Eani's eMcd^ has passed along the Sogi road :
Where a girl's heart is attached she cannot tolerate a rival,
35 The swans eat in the sea, ||
Sabda ! the fishes in the
broad rivers.
1 was (for loving thee) for ever, in the end thou didst
quickly separate (from me).
The moon parts from the sun, Sabda! the stars from
the sky.
I and thou are not separated, our fates are separated.
The wood is of eight feet, and the beam (wants) nine feet.
40 My first anxiety is for the house, Sabda, my second
anxiety is for thee.
The rose-flower bloomed and I laid it on a stone :
It was for thee, ungrateful !
thou didst not receive it.
Stand awhile and listen to my prayer.
The first anxiety is for my house, the next for thy injuries.
45 The cloud from afar has split in half.
I have passed twelve years obeying thy commands.
* Sarson, Brassica campestris ; rdi, Brassica juncea. They are tyro
kinds of mustard.
t This appears to allude to some proverb, or perhaps DilU may mean
' in my heart!'
t So interpreted, but hdld has not been really translated.
§ A conveyance in which one pony is driven.
According to a well-known myth.
II