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18
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
(AUGUST, 1921
Hir replied to her brother: “Dear brother, my life is yours. When four eyes have met and clashed in Love, the course of Love cannot be stopped. My fate was written by the Pen of Destiny on the first Day of Days. The Pen and the Tablet of Destiny prostrated themselves before Love. How can poor Hir withstand it! All the Jat girls of Jhang are in love with him. My dear brother you should pray to God that all the girls should follow the example of Hir. You should sacrifice a thousand sisters at the feet of Love."
And the Kazi yet again urged Hir to desist from her evil ways saying that girls who disobeyed their parents would be losers in the day of Judgment. And Hir made answer to the Kazi : "Lovers cannot disburden themselves of the burden of love. Know, Kazi that I will never accept a Khera in marriage even though I am bound with iron chains or ropes. If I turn my face from Ranjha and desert Love to-morrow I shall be disbarred in the Resurrection from the company of Lovers. To this burden of shame I will never consent. I deem the infamy of the world as a pleasure as long as I keep the Love of Ranjha. Waris. I shall be called the Hir of Ranjha in heaven, in the assembly of Fatima the daughter of the prophet."
And the Kazi was wroth and said: "Nobody can stop or stay this wicked girl. Hîr's pride knows no bounds. She must be given away in marriage at once."
And Hir called aside one of her girl friends and sent her to Ranjha at once with the following message : “My parents and the Kazi are oppressing me and my life is being taken from me even as sugar is pressed out of a sugar mill. You, friend, are living happily but an army of sorrows is invading me."
And the girl went and gave this message to Ranjha and told him to comfort Hir as she was being humiliated.
CHAPTER 12. (Ranjha has audience of the Five Pirs and Mithi.discourses on Love.) And Ranjha when he heard this was sad and desired in his heart to call on the Five Pirs; so he bathed in the river and then took his flute and began to play. And he stood before the Five Pirs with folded hands and weeping eyes, and he prayed : "For God's .gake, help me, or my love will be ruined." And the Five Pirs at once came to his help, say. ing: “We have seen in ur dream that your mind has been perplexed and your soul sore troubled within you." And the Pirs said : “Sing to us two or three songs as our heart is yearning for song."
So Ranjha began to sing before the Five Pirs. He took his flute and cunningly ran his fingers over the notes. He played the seven modes, even the modes of Kharj, Rakhab, Sanehar, Panebam, Maddam, Darat, and Nikaoli, and with much skill he kept time to the beats of the drum, and he also played many variations on these tunes, even from Urab unto Gaddi Dum. And he sang all the songs that men sing, even the song of Bishenpatti and the songs that the women of the Manjha sing, the song of Sohni and Mahiwal and the songs the hillmen sing. He declaimed the shrill verses of Kabit, the songs of the Gujars and the songs of the women of the east. And with the singing and the music he became as one in a trance. He swayed like a cobra. And the hearts of the Five Pirs were moved hearing Ranjha sing, and they said: "Ask any favour of us and we will give it."
