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Garma
Garam More
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Poetry |
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The Qazi admonishes Heer but she refuses to give up Ranjha When Heer came back from the forest her parents sent for the Qazi. The Qazi said, 'It is not becoming for the daughter of Chuchak to talk to cowherds and penniless coolies. In a few days the messengers of your wedding will be here. The preparations for the marriage are all but complete. The Kheras will bring a marriage procession in a few days to take you to the house of your husband.' Heer replied to her father, 'As wine-bibblers cannot desert the bottle, as opium-eaters cannot live without opium, so i cannot live without Ranjha. The Qazi was wroth and said, 'Nobody can stop or stay this wicked girl. heer's pride knows no bounds. She must be given in marriage at once.' Heer called aside one fo her girl friends and sent her to Ranjha at once with the following message, 'My parents and the Qazi are oppressing me and my life is being taken from me even as sugar is pressed out of a sugar mill. You, friend, are living happily but an army of sorrows is invading me.' Ranjha has audience of the Five Pirs and Mithi discourses on love. Ranjha stood before the Five Pirs with folded hands and weeping eyes, and he prayed, 'For God's sake, help me, or my love will be ruined.' They said, 'Ask any favour of us and we will give it up.' Ranjha replied, 'Admit me to your holy order, make me Malang and give me Heer as my Malangan and Mate.' Ranjha and Heer took counsel how they might conceal their plans from Heer's parents, so they decided to take mithi, the barber woman, into their confidence so that they might meet in Mithi's house. Mithi's house was near the watering place of the cattle. Heer used to come during the night and stay till one watch of the night remained and then slip back to their own house. In the morning Ranjha drove the buffaloes out to graze in the forest. Under the pretence of bathing, Heer and her friends used to meet him in the forest on the banks of the Chenab. But the shephards heard of these things and came and told the news to Kaidu, and Kaidu told Milki. Milki sent for Heer as Kaidu went about the village saying, 'I tell you the girl walks arm in arm with Ranjha all day in the forest.' Heer thrashes Kaidu and Kaidu complains to the village elders Heer's girl frienhds came to her saying, 'Your evil uncle is stiring up the whole assembly of elders against you. So Heer took counsel together with her girls, and at her bidding they waited for an opportunity and caught Kaidu and surrounded him. They tore off his beggars girdle and threw him on the ground. Their blows resounded like the hammers of the coppersmiths. They then burnt his hut and let the dogs and chickens loose all over his property. So Kaidu resolved in his own mind how he might catch Heer and Ranjha in the forest, and bring Chuchak to see them. The next morning Ranjha drove the cattle intot he forest, anda fter two watches of the day had gone, Heer and her companions in their scarlet clothes came into the forest. The girls played together and then went back to their homes. Ranjha and Heer stayed behind and slept together peacefully in the forest. Kaidu ran off to the village as fast as his cripple legs would carry him, and said to the Assembly of Elders, 'Come and see the strange things in the forest.' Chuchak finds Heer and Ranjha in the forest. Chuchak muttered to himself, 'We have been dishonoured before the whole assembly.' He saddled his horse and took a spear in his hand. Heer heard the noise of the oncoming horse, and said to Ranjha, 'Get up, my father is coming.' Then she wept and said, 'I shall not come here again, so forgive me.' And she hurried from Ranjha's side. Mihr Chuchak was tortured with rage and said, 'I will break your legs in two and cut off your head. Only thus will the scandal be stopped.' Heer turned towards Ranjha and said, 'Shepherd, leave your buffaloes and go away to your home. No one in future will care for what has happened. I am your own dear daughter and it is not meet for men of gentle birth to bring their own disgrace by publishing abroad their daughters' defects.' Chuchak bewildered and bethought that Heer ought to be given away in marriage soon. When Ranjha became a shepherd, news was taken to his brethren in Takht Hazara. The brothers of Ranjha wrote to the Sials. 'Ranjha has cut off our nose by becoming a grazier of buffaloes. We shall be grateful to you if you will send him back; otherwise we shall have to come with a special embassage to lay our request before you.' Chuchak replied, 'We have employed Ranjha as Heer's servant. Why have you turned such a young man as this out of your house? He is neither lame nor lazy nor clumbsy fingered. We will not turn him over, but if he wishes to see his brothers no one will prevent him.' Ranjhas brothers and their wives wrote tauntingly to Heer. Heer had the letter read out to her and she told the contents to Ranjha, and after consulting him, she caused the following answer to be written on her behalf. 'Your letter has been recieved. We are shocked at its contents. We have employed Ranjha as a grazier of buffaloes and we will not let him go.'
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