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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
( APRIL, 1981
oan beguilo womon even out of the palace of Bant Kokilan. If you cannot get her out of the door by day, pull down the back wall and take her away by night."
Ranjha replied: "Men who have sisters-in-law like you should drown them in the doop stream. I will bring back Hir of the Sille in martingo and women like you shall be her hand-maidono." And he turned and weat away in a rage ; and Sahibå looking over her shoulder, said to him :-"You should be quick about this marriage business, or the beauty of Hir will fade and you will be too late."
So Ranjha with his fute under his arm left his father's country declaring that he would no longer eat or drink in Takht Hazara. And it came to pass that a bordsman ran and told his brothren, and they said to him "Ranjhs, tell us what has befallen you that you quit our home. Our wives are your maidservants and we are your slaves."
And his brothers' wives besought him saying "WE shed tears of blood when you talk of departing. We give our life and our property and ourselves as a sacrifice for you." Ranjha replied: "Why do you try to make me change my mind ? For many days the food and water of Takht Hazára have been hateful to me. First with your taunts you burnt my heart and separated me from my brethren, and now you turn round and say smooth things. You cannot prevail. MY mind is firm. The drum of my departure has sounded and I will leave the home of my fathers."
So Ranjha quarrolled with his brethren and lett Takht Hazara.
CHAPTER 2.
(Ranjha reaches the Mosque.) After much journoying he reached mosque, which was as beautiful as Holy Mocca or the great Mosque at Jerusalem. And hunger and cold fell upon him and weariness of travel. Then he took up his fluto and played, and strange things happened. Some became sonsoloss and others' hoorts yearned when they heard the munio. Not a man or woman romained in the village. They all throngod round the mosquo. Last of all out came the muth who was very bag of quarrels. And the muliah seeing Ranjha said: "Who is this intidel with long hair? This is no place for rogues. Cut off your long hair so that you may be scooptable in God's sight." . .
Ranjha retorted to the mulla :-"You have a long beard like a venerable Shaikh, yet you bebare like devil. Why do you send innocent travellers and poor fagfrs liko mu awayYou sit in the pulpit with the Quran in front of you, yet your mind is set on iniquity. You lead the village women astray, you are as a bull among cows." The mulida replied: "Mosques are God's houses and evil livers are not admitted therein. You have abandoned prayer and keep long hair and scented moustaches. Such men wo beat out of mosques. Dogs and beggars are alike impure, and both should be whippod." To which Ranjha gave reply "O dopaty of Allah, may your sina be forgiven and in your meroy grant pardon to my faults. Tell me, I learned in wisdom, what is clean and what is tncloen! What is right and what is wrong! What is prayer made of and of what is it baik ! How many cars and Moves he prayer ! What is its length and size and with what is it omparisoned To whom was prayer ordained in the beginning ?”
