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August, 1921]
HIR AND RANJHA
19
Ranjha replied: "Admit me to your holy order ; make me a Malang and give me Hîr as my Malangai and Mate." And the Pirs said: "We will be your helpers. Hîr is yours but use her not as a wife, as men use women. Do not desert her nor take her away from her parents house for she is no penniless girl nor a girl of mean birth, and remember to cast your eyes on no other woman than Hîr."
And Ranjha being perplexed in heart went to Mithi the barber woman and asked her concerning the ways of women and Love. And Mithi replied: “The way of Love is hard and the path is tortuous. The taste of Love iş as bitter as poison. The very letters of Love jus ISHQ are like the coils of a snake and only very wise men know its secrets. Love to the potter woman is part of the days work like eating and drinking; the love of a shepherdess is fierce like a wolf; the love of a Sikh woman is as violent as the current of the Chenab. The love of a shroff woman is as clear cut as the year 37 on the coins of Muhammad Shah. The Bengali woman's love is fitful. The Hindustani's is childish. A little girl's love is fretful and peevish: she is always taunting and reproaching her lover. Kanjars know not what love is. God's curse on the casual light-o'loves. Touch them not. The love of a Khatri woman is as soft ag dough. The hill woman loves openly but the Peshawar woman in secret. But hark ye. The birth place of Love is among the Sials. Jhang is the father of Love and the Chenab is its mother. Did not Love exist from the beginning of the world? Did not God love Muhammad ! Did not the holy saints know Love even Adam and Eve, and Zakaria who got caught in a tree and sawn asunder? Did not Abraham love Ishmael? Was not God displeased with King Solomon and did not He cast him down from his throne in his displeasure, in the twinkling of an eye? Love also slew Hagan and Hosain the holy martyrs, and is not the list of earthly Lovers long and famous
-even Mirza and Sahiba, Chander, Badan, Sherin, Kamrup, Sassi and Punnoo, Laila and Majnun, Sohni and Mahiwal, Joseph and Zuleika.”
And Ranjha and Hir took counsel how they might conceal their plans from Hîr's parents ; so they decided to take Mithi the barber woman into their confidence so that they might meet in Mithi's house. And Hîr slipped five gold coins into Mithi's hands and made her promise not to tell the secret to the other girls. And Mithi's heart grew warm when she saw the money. Verily without money there is no kith or kin or kindness in the world Without money there is no wit nor wisdom. With the help of money the fool is the equal of the wise man. Waris, if you trust in God, he will give you your portion of the good things of this world.
Mithi's house was near the watering place of the cattle, a little aside in a quiet corner. It was full of quilts and beds and soft coverlets, and Mithi used to scatter flowers for Ranjha and Hîr to walk on. Ranjha's orders were obeyed throughout the house and he was treated with as much honour as a son-in-law. And Hîr used to come during the night and stay till one watch of the night remained and then slip back to her own house. In the morning Ranjha drove the buffaloes out to graze in the forest. Under the pretence of bathing, Hir and her girl friends used to meet him in the forest on the banks of the Chenab. And the banks of the Chenab laughed and shook with their merry making. Ranjha played on the flute and Hîr and her girl friends sang the merry songs of the Chenab. Sonia, the gold. smith girl wrung the water out of her dripping hair and shook it over Ranjha, and then kissed him and ran away'laughing. The daughter of Sadoo the weaver clung to him as a leather water-bag clings to the back of the water-carrier, and Miran and Bibi, the daughters of Fatto
