Dadiyan Naniyan

The two ends of my veil resemble the humility of a [Fakir: a wandering ascetic or Sufi saint]

My expressions and my face are draped in a profound, soulful gravity

Within me reside the pure [Saloks: sacred verses/hymns] of the Guru's [Baani: divine word]

I am a daughter born from the very lexicon of the land of Punjab

I have emerged from the era of my paternal and maternal grandmothers

I have emerged from the era of my paternal and maternal grandmothers

I have emerged from the era of my paternal and maternal grandmothers

I have emerged from the era of my paternal and maternal grandmothers

I shaped my sorrows into songs and shared them with the doves and sparrows

I defiantly spun the marks of the [Charkha: traditional spinning wheel] upon the chest of fate

Unlike you, I haven't wandered to see the world outside

I am the intricate embroidery done upon the home-spun [Khaddar: coarse hand-woven cotton fabric]

I have emerged from the era of my paternal and maternal grandmothers

I have emerged from the era of my paternal and maternal grandmothers

I have emerged from the era of my paternal and maternal grandmothers

I have emerged from the era of my paternal and maternal grandmothers

Like the pitter-patter of raindrops made of the purest water

I sang the [Ghoriyan: traditional folk songs celebrating the groom] for my handsome brother with all my heart

I am like the sacred henna applied to my father's feet

I am the [Surm-Salai: an applicator for kohl/eye-liner] made from the dust of the vigilant

I have emerged from the era of my paternal and maternal grandmothers

I have emerged from the era of my paternal and maternal grandmothers

I have emerged from the era of my paternal and maternal grandmothers

I have emerged from the era of my paternal and maternal grandmothers

Then, what all transpired during the [Halle-Gulle: the chaotic riots and upheaval of the 1947 Partition]

Before these very eyes, my [Babul: beloved father/patriarch] was taken by death

Even today, I see the sight of my mother’s heart shattering in grief

I am the lingering shadow of those uprooted, desolate paths

I have emerged from the era of my paternal and maternal grandmothers

I have emerged from the era of my paternal and maternal grandmothers

I have emerged from the era of my paternal and maternal grandmothers

I have emerged from the era of my paternal and maternal grandmothers