Kisi ki muskurahaton pe ho nisaar

When my husband and I were getting to know each other this one of the songs that we both named as a favourite, and we so it is special to me. I love the spirit of the song and the joy it takes in living. I hope my translation does justice to the words by Hasrat Jaipuri and rendition by Mukesh, though I have to say I am not very happy with this attempt.

Kisi ki muskurahaton pe ho nisaar

Kisi ki muskurahaton pe ho nisaar
When you are ready to sacrifice yourself for a smile from someone

Kisi ka dard mil sike toh le utha
And to take on the suffering of another

Kisi ke vaastey ho tere dil mein pyaar
When your heart belongs to another

Jeena isi ka naam hai...
That is when you are truly alive...

Maana apni jeb se fakeer hain
Yes, we may be broke

Phir bhi yaaron dil ke hum ameer hain
But still we are rich where hearts are concerned

Mitey jo pyaar ke liye woh zindagi
To live is to die for the sake of love

Jale bahaar ke liye woh zindagi
To live is to perish for a sign of spring

Kisi ko ho na ho humein to aitbaar 
Whether someone agrees or not, we are sure

Jeena isi ka naam hai...
That is when you are truly alive...

Rishta dil se dil ke aitbaar ka
The connection between hearts is based on trust

Zinda hai humeen se naam pyaar ka
We keep alive faith in love

Ki marke bhi kisi ko yaad ayenge 
Someone will think of us when we are gone

Kisi ke aasuon mein muskurayenge
And we will smile still through someone's tears

Kahega phool har kali se baar baar
And flowers will repeat our tale to buds everywhere

Jeena isi ka naam hai...
That is when you are truly alive...

Chalo ek baar phir se

For my second attempt at translation, I had picked one of my favourite songs. This one is about a lost love, and how sometimes its better to leave some stories unfinished. I was going to attempt my own translation, but I feel like I will not be able to better the one found in this link, so am not going to attempt this song after all. However, I would be grateful for any feedback in general, and dare I hope, any requests.

Na tum humein jaano

I have resisted the blog writing bug for some time now. Then a few days ago, inspiration struck. I love listening to Hindustani (or Hindi-Urdu) film songs and for me, the lyrics of a song are as important to my enjoyment of it as the tune and the ability of the singer to give meaning to the words. I have also been trying to improve my spoken Hindustani, and thought that translations of the songs that I love into English would help in a small way towards this. Hopefully I will be able to convey the spirit of the poetry in my translations, and that at least a few people will enjoy them!

So here is the first instalment. While I like this song a lot, its not one of my favourites. However, I find myself humming it a lot without even realising I am doing it, so thought it might be appropriate to start my new project with it. And that it has an ethereal Waheeda Rehman and Dev Anand at his peak makes it a clincher.

Na tum humein jaano

Na tum humein jaano
You do not know me

Na hum tumhein jaanen
Nor I you...

Magar lagta hai kuchh aisa
I have a fleeting feeling however

Mera humdum mil gaya
That I have found my soulmate

Yeh mausum yeh raat chup hai
The night and air are silent

Yeh hothon ki baat chup hai
Even my lips hold silent 

Khamoshi sunaane lagi hai daastaan
The silence tells its own tale

Nazar ban gayi hai dil ki zubaan...
And the eyes speak for the heart

Na tum humein jaano...
You do not know me...

Mohabbat ke mod pe hum
At the turn where love awaits

Mile sub ko chhod ke hum
We meet leaving the world behind

Dhadakte dilon ka leke yeh kaarvan
Taking with us only a caravan of heartbeats

Chale aaj donon jaane kahaan
We go today we know not where

Na tum humein jaano...
You do not know me...