Verse 64 - Ranjha’s response

Ranjha, in response, chides Heer, but not without affection. He acknowledges her playfulness and her beauty and then, responds to her complaint about his readiness to leave. Is he a carefree lover, like the amorous bumble bee or is he a mendicant with powers of the occult at his command, dangerous like a black cobra? No matter who he is, to charm him and seduce him, he says, is no easy task.  Once again there is a foreshadowing of Ranjha’s future, with his carefree past as the backdrop. He then waxes philosophical as he talks about the ephemeral nature of youth and beauty, which she possesses now in abundance, and cautions her against being haughty, reacting to her earlier anger at seeing him on her couch. Waris Shah is no mere poet and this verse, which on the surface is part of the charming mating dance in progress, is really a reflection on the transience of life and the perils of nafs or ego, important Sufi preoccupations.