Tere bina zindagi se koyi
Shikwa to nahi, shikwa nahi,
Tere bina zindagi bhi lekin
Zindagi to nahi, zindagi nahi

[
Bereft of you, I have
But no complaints in life
Bereft of you, this is a life too
But this is no life to live
]

The poet, I believe, was Manzoor Jhalla. The original rendition of this beautiful song was by the one and only Reshma from Pakistan. I believe there is a latter version of this by a much younger singer from the same country – Fariha Pervez.First couple of stanzas…

“Kithhey nain na jorin / Mere jendiya murin,
Tenu wasta aye khuda da / Wagan watana nu morin
Kithhey nain na jorin

Pyaar waliyan nu nayio / Vekh sakda zamaana
Kerhi gal tun vichora / Aween labda paya
Aa ke lag na kisi din / Mera maan na torin

Ternu wasta aye Khuda da / Wagan watana nu morin
Kithhey nain na jorin”

I need some help from my Punjabi friends. But here is an attempt…

“Don’t let your eyes meet someone else’s eyes
Come back, while I am still alive
For the sake of God, turn your horse around to your own country
Don’t let your eyes meet someone else’s eyes

This world can’t stand to see two in love together
One or the other, it forever tries to tear them apart
Don’t believe in their words // (not sure whether it means this or “Don’t give them your word”)
And break the faith I have in you

For the sake of God, turn your horse around to your own country
Don’t let your eyes meet someone else’s eyes”

“Mast nazron se Allah bachaaye,
Maah-jamaalon se Allah bachaaye

Har balaa sar pe aa jaaye lekin,
Husn-vaalon se Allah bachaaye

In kii masumiyat par na jaanaa,
In ke dhoke mein hargiz na aana
Loot lete hain ye muskuraa kar,
In kii chaalon se Allah bachaaye”

(Original poet: Nasir Iqbal Maikash)

Roughly translated (as always, improvements more than welcome)

“O God save us from those intoxicated glances!
O God save us from those who look as beautiful as the moon!
Inflict any affliction upon us, but
O God save us from those beautiful ones.

Don’t let their innocence fool you
Don’t ever fall in their trap
They will rob you even as they smile
O God save us from their spells”

“Khud ko yun mahasuur kar baitha hun apni zaat me
Manzilein chaaron taraf hai, raasta koi nahi”

Roughly translated… (Feel free to improve the translation)

“I have myself surrounded my soul in such a way that
There are destinations all around… not a single road to lead to any of them”

“Aap gairon ki baat karte hain
Humne to apne bhi aazmayen hain
Log kaaton se bachke chalte hain,
Humne to phoolon se zakhm khaayen hain!!”

Roughly translated…

“You keep complaining about strangers
I have tried my own loved ones too
People try to stay clear of thorns
And I have been hurt by flowers!!”


“Bichhde abhi to hum bas kal parson
Jiyungi main kaise is haal main barson
Maut na ayee, teri yaad kyun ayee
Hayee lambi judaai
Char dino ka pyaar O Rabba
Badi lambi judaai, lambi judaai”

Roughly translated:

“We got separated just a day or two back
Now how am I going to live in this state?
Death did not come upon me, but your memories did
Oh! why is separation always for so long?
Love is but for a few days, God!
Then why is separation for so long?”

The poem was immortalized in a song by the one and only Reshma. Born in undivided India to a vagabond tribe (banjara) that originated from the gypsy tribes of the Eastern Europe / middle East, she was moved to Pakistan by her family post independence. Discovered at an early age, she went to become one of the most famous folk songs of the subcontinent.

Her last few years were extremely sad and painful. Stricken by cancer, she was reduced to a skeleton. In a very poignant moment, she came out on stage during one of her last days. She had to be helped on stage and inspite of having advanced stage of throat cancer, she gave it a shot and sang the “Lambi Judai” song. A young Pakistani singer – Atif Aslam – came on stage and gave a wonderful rendition of her song to pay her a tribute.

She passed away a couple of years later. It was almost like she truly came out to complain in her own words:

“Char dino ka pyaar O Rabba
Badi lambi judaai, lambi judaai”

There is a grainy video of the event in Youtube here:

“Kabhi kisi musafir se pyar na karna
Unka thikana bohut door hota hain
Woh kabhi bewafa toh nahi hote,
Magar unka jaana jaroor hote hain”
(Unknown poet)

Roughly translated…

Never fall in love with the traveler
His address is invariably too far away
He is never unfaithful to you
But his journey (away from you) is inevitable

“I count each day a little life,
With birth and death complete;
I cloister it from care and strife
And keep it sane and sweet.

With eager eyes I greet the morn,
Exultant as a boy,
Knowing that I am newly born
To wonder and to joy.

And when the sunset splendours wane
And ripe for rest am I,
Knowing that I will live again,
Exultantly I die.

O that all Life were but a Day
Sunny and sweet and sane!
And that at Even I might say:
“I sleep to wake again.” ”

Brilliant take on life by the poet Robert Service describing each day to be a microcosm of how life plays out. With one exception – that once you sleep your Sleep of Life (death) there is no waking up again…

As an interesting factoid, the poet was a bank employee for his day job…

… if you Googled the number 241543903 ?

Go ahead! Try it!!!

Awesome evening of Meeraj-e-Ghazal. Some unforgettable words from the poet Faiz Ahmad Faiz. One of the most renowned Urdu poets, he was considered four times for the Nobel Prize. Perfect rendition by Asha Bhonsle (and Ghulam Ali)

“Be-piya hoon ke, agar lutf karo, aakhir-e-shab
Sheesha-e-mai mein dhaley subah ke aaghaaz ka rang
Yun fazaa mehaki ke badla mere humraaz ka rang
Yun sajaa chaand ke jhalka tere andaaz ka rang”

Again, this has mix of words from Hindi and Urdu – none of which is my mother tongue. But here is a shot at a translation…

I have stayed off my drinks this evening. But if it pleases you, at the end of this night
The lovely colors of the early dawn will pour into this goblet of wine
The fragrance of the bloom is spreading as if you (my lover) have changed your colors
The moon is shining in its resplendence as if your style sparkled off it