ai dekhne wālo
is husn ko dekho
is rāz ko samjho
O onlooker,
gaze upon this beauty;
try to understand this secret:
yeh naqsh-e-ḳhayālī
yeh fikrat-e-ālī
This figment of the imagination;
this grand thought.
yeh paikar-e-tanvīr
yeh krishn kī tasvīr
This form of light;
this image of Krishna.
ma’anī hai ki sūrat
san’at hai ki fitrat
Is he reality or representation?
Is he craft or nature?
zāhir hai ki mastūr
nazdīk hai yā dūr
yeh nār hai yā nūr
Is he apparent or hidden?
Is he near or far?
Is he fire or light?
duniyā se nirālā
yeh bāñsurī wālā
gokul kā gwālā
He’s an odd one,
this flute player;
this cowherd of Gokul.
hai sehr ki aijāz
khultā hī nahīñ rāz
This is a magical miracle;
this secret will not open.
kyā shān hai wallāh
kyā ān hai wallāh
By God, what glory!
By God, what dignity!
hairān hooñ kyā hai
ik shān-e-ḳhudā hai
I am perplexed by what he is;
he is the Majesty of God.
but-ḳhāne ke andar
ḳhud husn kā but-gar
but ban gayā ā kar
Inside the temple,
the sculptor of beauty himself
entered and became the idol.
woh turfa nazzāre
yād ā gaye sāre
jamunā ke kināre
Those rare happenings—
they’ve just come back to me—
Back on the banks of the Yamuna…
sabze kā lahaknā
phūloñ kā mahaknā
The plants waving in the breeze;
the fragrance of flowers…
ghanghor ghaTāyeiñ
sarmast hawāyeiñ
The dark rain-clouds,
the intoxicated winds…
ma’asūm umañgeiñ
ulfat kī tarañgeiñ
That innocent enthusiasm,
those waves of love…
woh gopiyoñ ke sāth
hāthoñ meiñ diye hāth
raqsāñ huā brijnāth
Together with the gopis,
placing his hand in theirs;
the lord of Braj danced.
bansī meiñ jo lay hai
nasha hai na mai hai
kuchh aur hī shai hai
In his flute is a melody that
is neither intoxication nor wine;
it’s something beyond.
ik rūh hai raqsāñ
ik kaif hai larzāñ
It is a dancing soul;
it is a quivering joy.
ek aql hai mai-nosh
ik hosh hai mad-hosh
It is a mind fond of drink,
it is an intoxicated consciousness.
ik ḳhanda hai sayyāl
ik girya hai ḳhush-hāl
It is a laugh flowing like a torrent,
it is a joyful cry.
ik ishq hai maġhrūr
ik husn hai majbūr
ik sehr hai mas-hūr
It is an arrogant love,
a constrained beauty,
a mesmerizing spell…
darbār meiñ tanhā
lāchār hai kirishnā
aa shyām idhar aa
Alone in the [Kaurava] court,
Draupadi [also called Krishnaa] is helpless.
She calls out: “Come, Shyam, come here!”
sab ahl-e-ḳhusūmat
haiñ dar pa’e izzat
“All these hateful people;
their honor lies at the door!”
yeh rāj dulāre
buzdil hue sāre
“These beloved princes [the Pandavas, Draupadi’s husbands]
have all become cowards!”
parda na ho tārāj
bekas kī rahe laaj
“Without a veil, I will be shamed;
may this helpless wretch’s honor be saved!”
ā jā mere kāle
bhārat ke ujāle
dāman meiñ chhupā le
“Come, my Dark One,
the light of India;
Drape me in your robe!”
woh ho gayī an-ban
woh garm huā ran
ġhālib hai duryodhan
They have started quarreling,
they have heated up the war.
Duryodhan seems victorious.
woh ā gaye jagdīsh
woh miT gayī tashvīsh
Wait—he has come, the Lord of the World!
Our anxiety has been erased!
arjun ko bulāyā
upadesh sunāyā
He called Arjuna,
and preached to him [the Bhagavad Gita].
ġham-zād kā ġham kyā
ustād kā ġham kyā
What is the sorrow of that sorrowful one?
What is the sorrow of the teacher (guru)?
lo ho gayī tadbīr
lo ban gayī taqdīr
lo chal gayī shamshīr
The solution has been reached;
the divine decree has been pronounced;
the sword has been swung!
sīrat hai adū-soz
sūrat nazar-afroz
dil kaifiyat-andoz
His virtues burn enemies;
his face shines a bright gaze;
his heart understands character.
ġhusse meiñ jo ā jāye
bijlī hī girā jāye
aur lutf par āye
to ghar bhī luTā jaaye
If he gets angry,
he strikes down lightning;
and if he is pleased,
he still loots houses. [similar image to stealing hearts?]
pariyoñ meiñ hai gulfām
rādhā ke liye shyām
Among the angels, he is rose-colored;
For Radha, he is Shyam, the Dark One.
balrām kā bhayyā
mathurā kā basayyā
bindrā meiñ kanhaiyā
Balaram’s brother,
the famed one of Mathura,
that Kanhaiya of Bindra (a forest near Gokul).
ban ho gaye vīrāñ
barbād gulistāñ
sakhiyāñ haiñ pareshāñ
Forests have become desolate;
gardens ruined;
the gopis are distraught.
jamunā kā kinārā
sunsān hai sārā
The banks of the Yamuna
have gone silent.
tūfān haiñ ḳhāmosh
maujoñ meiñ nahīñ josh
Even its storms are silent;
there is no passion in its waves.
lau tujh se lagī hai
hasrat hī yahī hai
My affection is to you;
this is my unfulfilled wish:
ai hind ke rājā
ik bār phir ā jā
dukh dard miTā jā
Oh king of India,
come just once more!
Destroy our suffering and pain!
abr aur hawā se
bulbul kī sadā se
phūloñ kī ziyā se
From the clouds and the winds,
from the nightingale’s song,
from the flowers’ radiance
ādū-asarī gum
shorīda-sarī gum
The effect of magic is lost
The lovesickness is lost
hāñ terī judāyī
mathurā ko na bhāyī
Indeed, your absence
does not befit Mathura.
tū āye to shān āye
tū āye to jān āye
If you come, glory will come;
if you come, life will come.
ānā na akele
hoñ sāth woh mele
sakhiyoñ ke jhamele
Don’t come alone,
let those festivals also be there together,
those quarrels with the gopis…
is husn ko dekho
is rāz ko samjho
O onlooker,
gaze upon this beauty;
try to understand this secret:
yeh naqsh-e-ḳhayālī
yeh fikrat-e-ālī
This figment of the imagination;
this grand thought.
yeh paikar-e-tanvīr
yeh krishn kī tasvīr
This form of light;
this image of Krishna.
ma’anī hai ki sūrat
san’at hai ki fitrat
Is he reality or representation?
Is he craft or nature?
zāhir hai ki mastūr
nazdīk hai yā dūr
yeh nār hai yā nūr
Is he apparent or hidden?
Is he near or far?
Is he fire or light?
duniyā se nirālā
yeh bāñsurī wālā
gokul kā gwālā
He’s an odd one,
this flute player;
this cowherd of Gokul.
hai sehr ki aijāz
khultā hī nahīñ rāz
This is a magical miracle;
this secret will not open.
kyā shān hai wallāh
kyā ān hai wallāh
By God, what glory!
By God, what dignity!
hairān hooñ kyā hai
ik shān-e-ḳhudā hai
I am perplexed by what he is;
he is the Majesty of God.
but-ḳhāne ke andar
ḳhud husn kā but-gar
but ban gayā ā kar
Inside the temple,
the sculptor of beauty himself
entered and became the idol.
woh turfa nazzāre
yād ā gaye sāre
jamunā ke kināre
Those rare happenings—
they’ve just come back to me—
Back on the banks of the Yamuna…
sabze kā lahaknā
phūloñ kā mahaknā
The plants waving in the breeze;
the fragrance of flowers…
ghanghor ghaTāyeiñ
sarmast hawāyeiñ
The dark rain-clouds,
the intoxicated winds…
ma’asūm umañgeiñ
ulfat kī tarañgeiñ
That innocent enthusiasm,
those waves of love…
woh gopiyoñ ke sāth
hāthoñ meiñ diye hāth
raqsāñ huā brijnāth
Together with the gopis,
placing his hand in theirs;
the lord of Braj danced.
bansī meiñ jo lay hai
nasha hai na mai hai
kuchh aur hī shai hai
In his flute is a melody that
is neither intoxication nor wine;
it’s something beyond.
ik rūh hai raqsāñ
ik kaif hai larzāñ
It is a dancing soul;
it is a quivering joy.
ek aql hai mai-nosh
ik hosh hai mad-hosh
It is a mind fond of drink,
it is an intoxicated consciousness.
ik ḳhanda hai sayyāl
ik girya hai ḳhush-hāl
It is a laugh flowing like a torrent,
it is a joyful cry.
ik ishq hai maġhrūr
ik husn hai majbūr
ik sehr hai mas-hūr
It is an arrogant love,
a constrained beauty,
a mesmerizing spell…
darbār meiñ tanhā
lāchār hai kirishnā
aa shyām idhar aa
Alone in the [Kaurava] court,
Draupadi [also called Krishnaa] is helpless.
She calls out: “Come, Shyam, come here!”
sab ahl-e-ḳhusūmat
haiñ dar pa’e izzat
“All these hateful people;
their honor lies at the door!”
yeh rāj dulāre
buzdil hue sāre
“These beloved princes [the Pandavas, Draupadi’s husbands]
have all become cowards!”
parda na ho tārāj
bekas kī rahe laaj
“Without a veil, I will be shamed;
may this helpless wretch’s honor be saved!”
ā jā mere kāle
bhārat ke ujāle
dāman meiñ chhupā le
“Come, my Dark One,
the light of India;
Drape me in your robe!”
woh ho gayī an-ban
woh garm huā ran
ġhālib hai duryodhan
They have started quarreling,
they have heated up the war.
Duryodhan seems victorious.
woh ā gaye jagdīsh
woh miT gayī tashvīsh
Wait—he has come, the Lord of the World!
Our anxiety has been erased!
arjun ko bulāyā
upadesh sunāyā
He called Arjuna,
and preached to him [the Bhagavad Gita].
ġham-zād kā ġham kyā
ustād kā ġham kyā
What is the sorrow of that sorrowful one?
What is the sorrow of the teacher (guru)?
lo ho gayī tadbīr
lo ban gayī taqdīr
lo chal gayī shamshīr
The solution has been reached;
the divine decree has been pronounced;
the sword has been swung!
sīrat hai adū-soz
sūrat nazar-afroz
dil kaifiyat-andoz
His virtues burn enemies;
his face shines a bright gaze;
his heart understands character.
ġhusse meiñ jo ā jāye
bijlī hī girā jāye
aur lutf par āye
to ghar bhī luTā jaaye
If he gets angry,
he strikes down lightning;
and if he is pleased,
he still loots houses. [similar image to stealing hearts?]
pariyoñ meiñ hai gulfām
rādhā ke liye shyām
Among the angels, he is rose-colored;
For Radha, he is Shyam, the Dark One.
balrām kā bhayyā
mathurā kā basayyā
bindrā meiñ kanhaiyā
Balaram’s brother,
the famed one of Mathura,
that Kanhaiya of Bindra (a forest near Gokul).
ban ho gaye vīrāñ
barbād gulistāñ
sakhiyāñ haiñ pareshāñ
Forests have become desolate;
gardens ruined;
the gopis are distraught.
jamunā kā kinārā
sunsān hai sārā
The banks of the Yamuna
have gone silent.
tūfān haiñ ḳhāmosh
maujoñ meiñ nahīñ josh
Even its storms are silent;
there is no passion in its waves.
lau tujh se lagī hai
hasrat hī yahī hai
My affection is to you;
this is my unfulfilled wish:
ai hind ke rājā
ik bār phir ā jā
dukh dard miTā jā
Oh king of India,
come just once more!
Destroy our suffering and pain!
abr aur hawā se
bulbul kī sadā se
phūloñ kī ziyā se
From the clouds and the winds,
from the nightingale’s song,
from the flowers’ radiance
ādū-asarī gum
shorīda-sarī gum
The effect of magic is lost
The lovesickness is lost
hāñ terī judāyī
mathurā ko na bhāyī
Indeed, your absence
does not befit Mathura.
tū āye to shān āye
tū āye to jān āye
If you come, glory will come;
if you come, life will come.
ānā na akele
hoñ sāth woh mele
sakhiyoñ ke jhamele
Don’t come alone,
let those festivals also be there together,
those quarrels with the gopis…
