The Song of Shaheed-E-Azam Sardar Bhagat Singh1

When brother Bhagat Singh’s death sentence by hanging was announced
Someone told this to his fiancee in the village,

For the sake of love, she left the village saying, “Let me meet him, God”
And went straight to the Jailer, in Lahore.2

God approved her request
And the heavens let them meet

The Lion (Bhagat Singh) looked through bars, and saw a beautiful lady standing weeping
While looking at her tears he asked “who are you, lady?”

The lady replied, “King of my heart, I am your wife-to-be…
My bad luck prevailed and the weeping sea is in my heart
I will not leave you, don’t go leaving me alone
I am waiting for you since long, let my love be complete”

Bhagat Singh, the son of India, laughingly replied,
“You have misunderstood, you have been misguided…
I have already been engaged and have been satisfied
Tonight, mehndi3 will be deployed on my hands and I would look beautiful wearing sehra4
Tomorrow noon, the marriage procession5 would appear, and the wedding song would be sung
and my beloved brothers of Punjab would hold me up over their shoulders
Why are you misguided, why are you taking deep breaths?”

The lady replied, “who is that lucky girl who won you?
she didn’t feel my pain and just focused on her pain
why I’m being widowed, what’s my fault?”

Bhagat Singh answered, “My spouse is most beautiful in the world
But few people desire for her
She inspired many young men and many Kings
For her, Lala Lajpat6 sacrificed her life
For her, brother Subhas7 spent her ages in prison,
For my country, I have done sacred marriage”

Lady said, “You’ve considered death as your bride, you extinguished my lamp
My marriage has been ruined
My desires have been killed
My heart sank, I am taking deep breath
My beloved lord, take me along you”

Bhagat Singh replied, “Please don’t shed tears, oh crazy
Am I going for not to be returned again…?
You have seen, this festival of Two World’s
When the country would be liberated, we would return”

Almost the second day they hanged him
And today we are singing the Song while remembering him:

The Song

Come on my friends, let’s sing the Songs together,
The marriage procession5 is ready.
Gandhi, the just father, has organized the wedding
What an auspicious moment,8 a beautiful day!
Death is going to marry the bride,
Come to Bhagat Singh Sardar’s home.
The handcuff by the Colonialists9
Would serve as the groom’s headdress
The Colonialists did your makeup
And put on your neck the beautiful necklace.10
The beloved mother11 is crying
And shedding tears for her son
The beloved sister’s12 eyes are full of tears
She is crying blood tears.
Come on my friends, let’s…

Rajguru and Sukhdev13 also left
The true friends indeed!
Three moths of the country’s candle,
Went to their last place of rest
Come on my friends, let’s…

Near Yamuna you have been put to rest
The waves did your makeup.
In your wedding march of 400 million people,
Some are on vehicles and some are on foot.
Come on my friends, let’s…
 
He is leaving while laughing with no worry
And with very bright forehead.
In his heart the desire to die for the nation
Is severe and manifold.
Come on my friends, let’s…

As long as moon and stars are shining,
As long as the world is present
The name of this Martyr would shine
Hey, the son of the Sun!
Come on my friends, let’s…

The Lion kissed the rope of gallows
The revolutionary became immortal after sacrificing his life on the country
Hey, Bhagat Singh Sardar!

Come on my friends, let’s sing the Songs together,
The marriage procession5 is ready.

Translated from the Punjabi (in Urdu script) by Saad Yousaf Aahni, The Stalin Society, Pakistan.
 
Notes by the Translator:

 1) In this poem the Punjabi word “Ghorri/ Ghori” has been translated as “the Song’.

2) Bhagat Singh was imprisoned in the Lahore Central Jail.

3) Mehndi is a paste developed from the leaves of henna plant. It is used by the women of Indian Subcontinent for body art, especially on important events like weddings etc.

4) Sehra is a traditional headdress of the grooms in Indian Subcontinent.

5) Janj is a Punjabi word that has been translated as the marriage procession.

6) Lala LaJpat Rai was the leader of Indian Independence Movement. During a protest against the Simon Commission, he got serious injuries by the police that led to his death after few weeks. Bhagat Singh and his comrades tried to take revenge for his killing.

7) Subhas Chandra Bose was the leader of Indian National Army who spent most of his life in exile while fighting against the British Colonialists in Indian Subcontinent.

8) Shubhmahurat is a word of Punjabi and Hindi that has been translated as auspicious moment.

9) Farangian, the plural of farangi, literally means “foreigners”. In the context of this poem, it implies the British Colonialists in Indian Subcontinent. Therefore, farangian has been translated as the Colonialists in the poem.

10) Here, the necklace apparently implies gallows.

11) Here, the mother apparently implies the motherland of Bhagat Singh.

12) Here, perhaps, the sister implies the masses, country mates, or the comrades of Bhagat Singh.

13) Rajguru and Sukhdev were the comrades of Bhagat Singh. The three revolutionaries were executed together on 23 March 1931.

Source of the poem:

An undated publication in Punjabi language “Ghori Bhagat Singh Shaheed" by Bharat Pustak Bhandar, Adda Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar; available online at the blog “Bhagat Singh Study” of Professor Chaman Lal.

Click here to return to the September 2017 index.