karte ho mujh ko man((a-e qadam-bos
kis liye
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?
man((a : 'Difficulty of access; prohibition, hindrance'. (Steingass p.1330)
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 his comment in {110,6}.]
SETS == BHI == 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 insultedness it conveys! Not to speak of being equal to truly great and impressive entities-- am I not equal even to minor ones? What an indignity! Am I not equal even to the sky? Or else (if we read bhii as 'also'), in view of all the other things I'm equal to, how could I not be equal to the sky as well?
For other verses that seem to be addressed to a divine Beloved, see {20,10}.
Nazm:
[See his comment in {110,6}.]
== Nazm page 116