The works of Miyun Shah Inat (c. 1623-1712), not to be confused with Shah Inayat of Jhok, can be seen as a bridge between the pioneers of Sufi poetry in Sindhi, like Qadi Qazan or Shah Abd al-Karim, and the classical poetry of Shah Abd al-Latif. He used folktale heroines to symbolize the quest of the soul for God. He also addressed the issue of jogis as models of renunciation. His kalam was published by N. B. Baloch in 1963 but his verses were first translated into English by Ghulam Ali Allana (d. 1984).

 

Behold the flushes of fire,

Aroused by the Yogis and their ire,

They, in the darkness of the night,

Betook themselves to flight.

How can I of their love speak publicly,

Which to me they entrusted secretly?

Throughout the night I weep,

And in my heart their remembrance keep.

Insatiable is their greed,

Which in their hearts they feed.

They beg from country to country,

These Yogis with blankets heavy.

Where others feel uneasy,

There the Yogis rest easy.

Ram, the Lord, they entreat,

As begs the lotus sweet.

“I trust in God,” say and repeat,

These words repeat, these words sweet.

Listen the Sayed say “O Sanyasi,

Learn to master that mystery.

O yogis, from your heart efface

Scepticism that within yourself you face,

Learn to practice what you preach,

Then from love learn to beseech.”

Inat says the rains have arrived,

And the river’s tributaries are flooded.

The grass has sprouted in abundance,

Of every kind, hue and refulgence.

O Lord, end my days of imprisonment,

You are the Mighty, the Omnipotent.

O Lord, let those days arrive,

I see my family members and thrive.

 

Source: G. Allana, 1983, Four classical poets of Sindh, Jamshoro, Insittue of Sindhology, University of Sindh, pp. 12-15.

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