A Lullaby
To you little babe,
to my love for you,
and to this life in which I can love you
shall I sing a lullaby?
I beg the wind to caress you not any harder than the notes of this song. I wish on my heart that you hair not be ruffled by anything rougher than these fingers passing through.
To you little babe, to my love for you, and to this life in which I can love you shall I sing a lullaby?
Over these eyes, in which dreams are not yet dry, resting in my lap, to please not let any wet shadows fall, I plead the mist and cloud.
Please do not thunder, O clouds, on this day, please float away. You sing too, O koyel, as if this lullaby was yours, Please sprinkle your honeyed notes over my dozing babe.
In this space between day and dark, in this room in which torrents are silent, this rocking lap where my babe sleeps, I request you both, red sun and gentle moon, to hum this lullaby too.
To you little babe, to my love for you, and to this life in which I can love you, shall I sing a lullaby?
Translated from the Telugu of "O Papa Lali"
Translations
... link (no comments) ... comment
Naina Thagh Lenge - Gulzar
Don’t believe the eyes
Don’t listen to what the eyes hear
Eyes just deceive you friend.
Wide awake they concoct black magic,
And when closed, they make your sleep barren.
They don't distinguish between good and bad, Or what is without and within. To strike out at will is their habit, And their poison is endlessly intoxicating. They sow rainbows in the clouds, And by dusk they bring in the rain.
And at night, they will walk you to heaven They will show you dreams of monsoons And lush greenery everywhere. No trust is left in the talk of these eyes, No receipt is issued for what they whisper All their words are made of air. Without rain spring, And spring without rain, Are just few illusions of these eyes.
Don’t believe the eyes. Don’t listen to what the eyes hear.
Translated from Hindustani
Note: I think I am in love with this song from "Omkaara" - it has something to do with the combination of Rahat Fateh Ali Khan's madcap wail-singing and Gulzar's rustic lyricism. And for some reason I think this song sonically echoes "Dil Se" in "Dil Se". What you say?
Translations
... link (2 comments) ... comment
Lyrics - Gulzar
[A]
Send a message to this end
And summon me back.
Someone is awake Tonight, every night. The palanquin sits in the yard, Empty like a freshly dug grave.
At dusk, as the street was Slowly shrouded by the fog, I came to the door But none yet, no messenger yet.
When kite strings flit into the sky How does one still the heart? And cold dew doesn’t burn, Doesn’t illuminate this dark.
[B] I have left those alleys behind
Where your petaled feet used to walk And where your dimples flitted Like butterflies whenever you smiled. At which the river took a bend Along the line of your waist And grain grew to harvest To the sound of your laughter.
In those busy rooms from which Your steady warmth radiated. There I heard Evening now resides. And that drizzle of talk In which night used to slip In unnoticed; sometimes I Find that night here, Lying on this bed.
Heart now Is simply a piece of this ache Is a stony alley Is a blind well Is a walled dead end Is like that quick gasp of breath That never seems to end.
And I keep burning it Even if it refuses to Become ash. Yes, I have left those alleys behind.
Translated from the Hindustani.
Note: I got to listening to Gulzar's "Maachis" again this evening so that I can lose myself in his words, and then attempt translations since in my "blind well" there are no poems to be had tonight. Gulzar will do more than enough.
Also, since my Hindi has become rusty, I will appreciate it if anyone lets me know the exact meaning of this phrase "Laton Se Uljhi Lipti" in a line that goes "Laton Se Uljhi Lipti Ek Raat Hua Karti Thi." Gracias.
Translations
... link (3 comments) ... comment