‘Rahim says, those charred by love blaze, again and again’: The metaphors in Rahim’s couplets

The day-to-day experiences of ordinary folk supplied the metaphors that Rahim employed in his dohas; even today they express and evoke shared emotions and beliefs. This quality also strengthens the dohas. Since almost everyone is acquainted with these metaphors, they light up his message. Consider the following doha:

रहिमन अती न कीजिये, गहि रहिये निज कानि ।
सैजन अति फूले तऊ, डार पात की हानि ॥

Rahim says, listen carefully, you must avoid excess;
If the morenga blooms too much, its boughs snap under stress.

The warning to avoid excess in everything and the advice to be moderate is illustrated by the image of the slender branches of a morenga tree cracking under the abundance of the long, thin fruit.

Rahim’s metaphors were also drawn from shared traditions and mythology. For instance, to deride both begging and deception, the poet refers to the story of Lord Vishnu tricking the generous King Bali out of his kingdom:

माँगे घटत रहीम पद, कितौ करो बढि काम ।
तीन पैग वसुधा करो, तऊ बावनै नाम ॥

Begging diminishes one, Rahim, however great the deed;
Crossed the cosmos in three strides, yet known as the dwarf in need!

This is a well-known Puranic episode that Rahim refers to in at least three dohas to impart related but different lessons. Following the traditions of Hindi poetry, he...

Read more