As Gulzar, A R Rahman and Mani Ratnam come together again for Raavan, I thought it was time to revisit one of my favorite albums from the trio, and to focus on the sublime lyrics by Gulzar Saab. So here for you is my translation of the lyrics of Dil se!
CHAIYYA CHAIYYA (the train song - Sukhwinder Singh and Sapna Awasthi)
Amar meets a girl at the train station and is instantly attracted to her but she leaves on another train….
Chorus:
jinke sar ho ishq kii chhaon
He whose head is in the shadow of love
paon ke niiche jannat hogi
will have heaven beneath his feet.
jinke sar ho ishq ki chhaon
Whose head is in the shadow of love...
chal chhaiyya
Walk in the shadow.
paon jannat chale chal chhaiyya
Heaven beneath your feet, walk in the shadow.
vo yaar hai jo khushbuu kii tarah
There's a girl(?) who is like a sweet fragrance,
Vo jiskii zabaan Urdu kii tarah
whose words are like poetry (lit. Urdu, the language of poetry),
merii shaam raat merii qainaat
who is my evening, my night, my existence.
vo yaar mera sainyya sainyya
She is my beloved!
Chorus
gulposh kabhii itarae kahin
Bedecked in flowers she flits around,
mahake to nazar aa jaaye kahin
Catch her fragrance and you may see her
taawiiz banake pahanun use
I will make her into a charm and wear it.
aayat kii tarah mil jaaye kahin
Like a miracle I will find her someday.
mera nagma vahi mera qalma vahi
She is my song, my declaration of faith
(kalama: the Muslim confession of faith, as in vo yaar hai jo imaam ki tarah - She is like a priest to me.)
mera nagma nagma mera qalma qalma
My song... my declaration of faith...
yaar misale os chale
She moves like the dew.
paon ke tale firdaus chale
She walks with the garden of heaven beneath her feet,
kabhii daal daal kabhii paat paat
sometimes through the branches, sometimes amidst the leaves.
main hawa pe dhoodhoonn us ke nishan
I search the wind for her trail!
Chorus
main uske ruup ka sedaaii
I am on a quest for her beauty.
vo dhuup chhaanhon sa harjaaii
She is as changeable as sun and shade.
vo shokh hai rang badalta hai
She mischievously changes colors;
main rang ruup ka saudaaii
Little knowing that I trade in colors and beauty.
Chorus
Translation of the other songs can be found HERE
