“Ankhiyon Ke Jharokhon Se Maine Dekha Jo Saanware
Tum Door Nazar Aaye Badi Door Nazar Aaye
Band Karke Jharokhon Ko Zara Baithee Jo Sochne
Man Mein Tumhi Muskaye Man Mein Tumhi Muskaye”

Roughly translated…

“From the window of my eyes, when I saw you – my Loved One
You seemed far, I saw you very far away
(And then) When I closed the windows of my eyes, and sat thinking
I saw you smiling; I saw you smiling in my own dear heart”

“Na samjho ke hum
Pee gaye peete peete
Ki thoda sa hum
Ji gaye peete peete”

Roughly translated…

“Please do not misunderstand that
I became drunk …
Because I kept on drinking
Think about it this way…
That I got to live life a little…
Because I kept drinking…”

“Koi ummeed bar nahin aati
Koi soorat nazar nahin aati
Maut ka ek din mu’ayyan hai
Neend kyun raat bhar nahi aati?”

Roughly translated.. (Improvements always welcome…)

“I don’t see any hope coming my way
Nor a visage of a solution meets my sight
That death will come one day is definitely true
Then why is it that I cannot sleep all night?”

“Dard se mere hai tujhko beqaraari haae haae
Kya hua zalim teri ghaflat-ashiari haae haae
Tere dil mein gar na tha ashob-e-gham ka hausla
Tu ne phir kyun ki thi meri gham-gusari haae haae”

Roughly translated… and any help from experts in Urdu in refining this would be much appreciated…

“You seem to be oblivious to all my pains, Oh, my!
What an oppression of your total carelessness you inflict, Oh, my!!
If you did not have the strength to deal with the vagaries of pain
Why did you, once upon a time, offer sympathies for my pain, then?”

“Tu wo zaalim hai jo
Dil mein reh kar bhi
Mera na ban Saka

Aur Dil wo kafir jo
Mukh mein reh kar bhi
Tera hogaya…”

Roughly translated…

“You are such an oppressor that
In spite of living in my heart
You never become mine.

And my heart – it is so disloyal that
In spite of living within me
It shamelessly became yours!”

“Main shaayar to nahin / Magar ae haseen
Jab se dekha, maine tujhko / Mujhko shaayari aa gayee

Main aashiq to nahin / Magar ae haseen
Jab se dekha maine tujhko / Mujhko aashiqui aa gayee

Pyaar ka naam maine / Suna tha magar
Pyaar kya haii / Yeh mujhko na thi khabar

Main to uljha raha / Uljhanon ki tarha
Doston mein raha / Dushmanon ki tarha

Main dushman to nahin / Magar ae haseen
Jab se dekha maine tujhko / Mujhko dosti aa gayi

Sochta hoon agar / Main dua maangta
Haath apne uthaakar / ain kya maangta

Jab se tujhse mohabbat / Main karne laga
Tab se jaise ibaadat / Main karne laga

Main kaafir to nahin / Magar ae haseen
Jab se dekha maine tujhko / Mujhko bandagi aa gayi”

Roughly translated…

“I was never a poet; But your heavenly beauty
Ever since I saw you, poetry has been flowing in me

I was never a romantic; But your heavenly beauty
Ever since I saw you, love has come to me naturally

I had indeed heard about love;
But I had no clue what it was all about

I was entangled with all these confusion
And hid like an enemy even among my friends

But I am not anybody’s enemy; But your heavenly beauty
Ever since I saw you, friendship has come naturally to me

Sometimes I muse that if I were ever to pray
Raising my own hands, what would I ask for?

Ever since I fell in love with you,
I have started worshipping Almighty too!

I was never a non-believer; But your heavenly beauty
Ever since I saw you, faith and belief has naturally come to me”

(This was famously sung by Asha Bhonsle in the 1983 album Meeraj-E-Ghazal. The music was composed by none other than the famous Ghulam Ali)

“Roodaad-e-mohabbat kya kahiye,
Kuchh yaad rahi kuchh bhool gaye
Do din ki masarrat kya kahiye
Kuchh yaad rahi kuchh bhool gaye

Jab jaam diya tha saaqi ne
Jab daur chala tha mehfil mein
Wo hosh ke saathi kya kahiye
Kuchh yaad rahi kuchh bhool gaye

Ehsaas ke maikhaane mein kahaan
Ab fikr-o-nazar ki kandiilen
Aalaam ki shiddat kya kahiye
Kuchh yaad rahi kuchh bhool gaye”

Roughly translated,

“The story of my love… what can I say?
I remember some of it… but I forget some more
Those fleeting moments of blissfulness… what can I say?
I remember some it… but I forget some more

When she poured wine in my glass
And the drunken party whirled around me
She was all I was conscious about, what can I say?
I remember some it… but I forget some more

In those inebriated feelings,
There was no thought, no prayer
There was just an intensity of agony, what can I say?
I remember some it… but I forget some more”

After meeting Sunita last week, I was thrown back to my MBA days this weekend. I remember, when everybody would be out and about during the weekend, I would be in my dorm room with low lights listening to Ghulam Ali. My next door neighbor – Tej Mohan Singh Chhabra – often used to drop by and help me translate the songs. Tej, if you are listening, you might remember this song that we once listened to together…

“Humko kiske gham ne maara
Yeh kahaani phir sahi
Kisne toda dil hamara
Yeh kahaani phir sahi
Dil ke lootney ka sabab
Poochho na sabke saamne
Naam aayega tumhara
Yeh kahaani phir sahi”

As he explained that evening, this means…

“Do not ask me whose sorrow killed me
Let’s talk about it later some time
Who tore apart my heart…
Let’s talk about it later some time
The name behind who plundered my heart
Please do not ask in front of everybody
For your name might just come up
Let’s talk about it later some time”

“Mere rashk-e-qamar tu ne pehli nazar,
Jab nazar se milaayee maza aa gaya
Bara si gir gaii kaam hi kar gaii,
Aag aisi lagaaii maza aa gaya”

Trying to translate this is not going to be easy. The first big challenge is explaining the import of a simple phrase as “maza aa gaya”. Literally it might be said it means “(I) became overjoyed”. But it really conveys a lot more. Elements of “ecstasy” is carried thru in that phrase. And elements of “unparalleled” nature of joy is conveyed thru that phrase.

The second challenge is to translate the construct of Urdu phrases. They are constructed almost the opposite of English phrases, sequentially speaking. “Rashk e qamar” is best understood as “envy of moon”. Basically, he is describing her as somebody whose beauty is the subject of envy by the moon.

Let’s see if this does any justice…

“Oh! You – who is the envy of the moon, your first glance
When it met my own eyes, it flung me into a world of ecstasy

(And in that look) Lightning struck and completely charred me
You lit such a fire that I burnt in a fire of that ecstasy.”