The title of this Qawwali may fool you if you let it. The place where I come from, the moon is thought to be rich with beauty and whenever someone is praised, the moon is used as a metaphor. ” You’re so beautiful like the moon”. Jealousy of the moon is pointed out to the person I love thereby proclaiming that you are so beautiful that even the moon is envious of your beauty.
Oh you jealousy-of-moon, when for the first time
You met your eyes with mine, I was ecstatic
It felt like lightning, it finished everything off,
It set all on fire so, I was ecstatic
The poet is proclaiming that my love you are my love of first sight. When your eyes met mine I went crazy instantaneously. When that moment occurred, it felt to me like a bolt of lightning struck within myself and lit a fire which burned with the desire of having you. That moment was so pure, so alive, that I loved every second of it.
Pouring the pleasures of beauty into my glass
Moonlight smiled on me, I was ecstatic
In the shade of the moon, oh my lover
You got me drunk so, I was ecstatic
This stanza is totally an analogy so don’t confuse it with its literal meaning. Pouring the pleasures of beauty in the glass of wine I had,is actually referring to the moment when you used to meet me hence making me absorb your beauty just as one sips wine. That moment was so blissful that it seemed as though moonlight smiled upon me. In the shade of the moon oh my lover, you got me so intoxicated with your beauty that I felt ecstatic.
There was shyness in the eyes at every meeting
Her cheeks turned red at the talk of love
Embarrassed by my questions
She bent her neck so, I was ecstatic
Ah the innocence of the person you love, so beautifully put. Whenever we used to meet, she was always shy as if she was hiding something from me. Whenever I told her how much I loved her, she used to blush. I used to pop the question every now and then to know if she loved me or not? And when I did that,she bent her neck signaling a yes. In that moment we were infinite, I was ecstatic.
Dropping her veil she stood in front of me
And youth clashed with youth
Her eyes fought with mine so,
Looking at this fight I was ecstatic
Reiterating the scenario of conventional lovers, it was believed that the female used to wear a veil to signify her modesty. Now she stands in front of me and drops that veil. I see her face for the first time and my youth meets with hers. Youth here can mean exuberance or the literal meaning as well. When you stood there looking at me our youths clashed, and your eyes met with mine. They started to have a clash themselves, I embraced this fight as a sign of happiness. Looking at this fight I was ecstatic !