Man Khake Kafe Paye

Mun khaake kafe paaye rindaane kharabaatam
Qurbaan lab-e-laal-e-janaan-e-kharabaatam

I am as the dust beneath the feet of the drunkards of Kharabaat
Sacrificing myself for the ruby-red lips of the heartthrobs of the Kharabaat

❦

Dil reshi-o-be-kheshi shud ain-e-namaaz-e-mun
Dar qibla-e-abrooe khubaan-e-kharabaatam

My prayer consists of tormenting my heart and negating my Self
As I turn my face towards the arched eyebrows of the beauties of the Kharabaat

❦

Mun aaina-e-yaaram, ganjeena-e-asraarum
Hairat zada-e-ishqam mun shaan-e-kharabaatam

I am as a mirror for my Beloved, I am a treasure-chest full of secrets
Smitten by the wonders of Love, I am the pride of the Kharabaat

❦

Een khirqa-e-hasti ra dar maekada-e-vehdat
Sad baar girau kardam uryaan-e-kharabaatam

This robe of Self , in the tavern of Unity
A hundred times I cast away, I am naked in the Kharabaat

❦

Een tauba-o-taqwa shud az Jami-e-be-deene
Dar koo-e-Malamaati, hairaane kharabaatam

All this piety and supplication from the heretic Jami
Living in the den of the Malaamatis? I am wonderstruck in the Kharabaat

The last verse is a bit knotty. The Malaamatiyya Sufis were a group who shunned obvious piety and tried to act in a way that would result in the world shunning them. Essentially they craved notoriety so their egos would be diminished. Jami says that he lives among the Malaamatis, where signs of piety are shunned, so his piety and supplication must surely mean that he’s a heretic who craves appreciation for his piety. At least that’s what I think it means.

❦

Subhan Ahmed Nizami