karte ho mujh ko man((-e qadam-bos
kisliye
kyaa aasmaan ke bhii baraabar nahii;N huu;N mai;N
1) why do you forbid me to kiss your feet?
2) am I not equal even/also to the sky?
Why am I forbidden to kiss your feet? His Excellency's footsteps went upon the sky-- is my rank even less than that of the sky? (166)
[See comment about {110,6}.]
SETS == TRANSLATABLES
GRANDIOSITY: {5,3}
SKY {15,7}
For discussion of this verse as part of an informal three-verse set, see {110,5}.
The effect of the bhii in the second
line is wonderfully evocative. What a tone of insult it conveys! Not to speak
of being equal to truly great and impressive entities-- am I not even equal
to minor ones? What an indignity! Am I not even equal to the sky? Or-- in view of all the other things I'm equal to, how could I not be equal to the sky as well?
Nazm:
[See comment in {110,6}.]
== Nazm page 116