Tarano ki Translation

Ya Rab Dil-e-Muslim ko - Shehzad Roy

2009-11-26T10:50:00.000-08:00

Not technically a song--it's poetry by Allama Iqbal sung by Shehzad Roy.

Again, the person who uploaded the video was kind enough to translate. Less work for me :)

I just want to spread the goodness..

O Lord! To the Muslims heart grant that live Longing
Which may warm the heart, which may restlessness to the soul grant

Again brighten up every speck of dust of the Valley of Faran
Again Longing for the Spectacle, taste for the asking grant

Again to the one deprived of the Spectacle the discerning eye grant
Whatever I have seen, to others also its sight grant

Again guide the strayed away deer towards the Haram
To the one addicted to city, vastness of wilderness grant

Again in the forlorn heart create the Last Days tumult
Again to this empty camel-litter the lover of Lailah grant

In the darkness of this age to every perturbed heart
That mark of Love which may embarrass the moon grant

In elegance raise the Muslims goals to the level of Thurayyah
Self-respect of the ocean, freedom of the sea shore grant

Love should be pure, candor fearless should be
Grant Light to hearts, hearts like crystal grant

Grant the feeling for signs of the calamity
In todays tumult concern for tomorrow grant

I am the wailing nightingale of a ruined rose garden
I am the supplicant for acceptance, O Benevolent one alms to the beggar grant

Dastaan-e-Ishq - Ali Zafar

2009-11-18T11:37:00.000-08:00

Some wonderful person put up the translation within this song. Anyway, it's reaaaally gorgeous, you will love it! The whole arrangement. Everything is perfect.

O Re Piya - Rahat Fateh Ali Khan

2009-11-09T19:48:00.000-08:00

Moving, amazing song.

It was used in an Indian movie called "Aaja Nachle" but the singer is Pakistani, so I added it here.

It has deeper implications than mere romance..on one level it is also an Islamic song about the Prophet (SAW)'s ascent to Paradise.
This sets it apart from most love songs.

Was asked about lyrics, so here they are:

O my beloved

Why has my crazy mind begun to fly?
Where does this brave spirit come from?
The weaving wind makes chaos.
Even the raindrops won't come
Entire world is in on this conspiracy.
Every particle, particle has this wish.

Eyes speak, world speaks
Language of the heart, o language of the heart.
Love asks for something, love wants a storm.
Walking slowly, love is new.
First we made this promise.

O my beloved, o my beloved, o my beloved

Naked feet stepping on fire
Walking onwards, walking onwards
Seems as though I grew up amongst strangers.
Take me to your land.
This age of ignorance
Is my enemy.

O my beloved, o my beloved, o my beloved.

Garaj Baras by Ali Azmat

2009-02-16T20:36:00.000-08:00

(Official vid)

(Coke Studio version)

Thunder rainfall, monsoon come surrounding (x6)
See how on unexplored paths, the storm gathers.
Come, let's take enjoyment out of the fun, pleasurable season

Thunder rainfall, monsoon come surrounding (x2)
Come, come at last, my life, come at last.
If you wish, give me poison, or a prayer for living.
What a connection this is, breath to breath
If you hear, then give a shout in the drenched, wet atmosphere

Come...

This life is drowned in colours.
Ash-grey afternoons, it will never forget.
Some conversations should be from eyes, to eyes.
Love's light goes on burning, burns out.

Thunder rainfall, monsoon come surrounding (x4)

Come let's search together for a moment of happiness.
In the chest, what coals are blazing may blaze.
Thunder rainfall, monsoon come surrounding (x12)

Yeh Hum Nahin by Various

2009-02-10T09:45:00.000-08:00

A story is being spread in our name;
it is a lie.
These stamps of death on our foreheads
are the signs of strangers.
The name by which you know us--
we are not that.
The eyes with which you see us--
we are not that.

This isn't us, this isn't us,
this isn't us, this isn't us,
this isn't us, this isn't us.

The way, with nightfall,
one loses one's path,
We are scared of the darkness so much,
we are burning our own home.
What is this rising all around us, from every direction?
A story is being spread in our name;
it is a lie.

This isn't us, this isn't us,
this isn't us, this isn't us,
this isn't us, this isn't us.

On the way, the lesson of living together fell from us.
We are scared now even of each other, because of this.
They are other people, whose faces are in your hands.

Your pains are the ocean. Our wounds are deep.

The stories being spread in our name...are lies.

This isn't us, this isn't us, this isn't us,
this isn't us, this isn't us, this isn't us.
This isn't us, this isn't us, this isn't us,
this isn't us, this isn't us, this isn't us.

Laga Reh by Shehzad Roy

2009-02-02T11:26:00.000-08:00

I love this vid..it gives a voice to something we've been trying to ignore.

The glimpses of all the political problems in Pakistan are spot on. The American agents trying to stifle the voices of dissent, the planned chaos, the lawyers who started the stupid riots..corrupt political leaders (helllooo Zardari..)..etc.

The message is to wake up! Question the insanity..and persevere.

Anyone who's lived in Pakistan can identify with this song.

Translation

Shehzad Roy: When I was ten years old, I heard on the 9 o'clock news that Pakistani history is at a critical crossroads/crisis.

Kid: Daddyy!!

Then I turned twenty, and heard on the news once again...that Pakistani history is at a critical crossroads.

Having tied your impossible dreams to yourself, you're standing, holding your ground.
You're an ordinary person, dude, enough, can't do it anymore.

Political activist: So what should I do? Lose hope?
Roy: No. Just keep at it.

Chorus:
Keep at it, keep at it, you keep going.
Keep waiting, keep waiting, you remain stubborn.
Laying still, laying still, you stay still.

Respected elders--they asked me, how will the nation run?
Respected elders--I told them, keep at it, keep at it.
Respected elders--they asked me, how will the nation run?
Respected elders--I told them

I'm not concerned about whether the nation will run. I'm concerned that it might go on running like this.

Keep at it, keep at it, you keep going.
Keep waiting, keep waiting, you are waiting.
Laying still, laying still, you stay still.

Dude, there's a lot of tension in the nation.
It's nothing, it's nothing, leave everything to Allah.

Don't do a thing.
You don't do a thing.
Everything you leave to Allah.
Allah is your protector, period.

Oi, brother, you too are facing a crossroads (can also mean "have become a cause of catastrophe"),
holding your ground.
You're an ordinary man--hey, stop! ...Now it's painful, dude.

Lawyer: No way. There're still a few noble people remaining...on the planet.

Respected elder--he asked me, who is noble, tell me.
Respected elder--I told him

A noble person is he who hasn't had the chance yet to prove himself otherwise

Keep at it, keep at it, you keep going.
Keep waiting, keep waiting, you are waiting.
Laying still, laying still, you stay still.
Keep at it, keep at it, you keep going.
Keep waiting, keep waiting, you are waiting.
Laying still, laying still, you stay still.

Reporter: The entire country's law and safety has been restored to order.

And then one day the ground will disappear beneath your feet (pun, can also mean "you will face the biggest catastrophe" and "your land will be snatched away")
And then to you, they will say..
They will say, "you're soaring in the clouds."
You're soaring in the clouds.
(pun, can also mean "you are finally free")

Poor man: So...will we really, truly be soaring in the clouds? Eh?
Roy: If you won't understand, fool, then...!

Keep at it, keep at it, you keep going.
Keep waiting, keep waiting, you are waiting.
Laying still, laying still, you stay still.
Keep at it, keep at it, you keep going.
Keep waiting, keep waiting, you are waiting.
Laying still, laying still, you stay still.

Poor man: That boy's face resembled Shehzad Roy's so much...

Politician 1: Sir, it might be time to wake up the nation.
Politician 2: Don't wake them up! They're sleeping because of some very important work.
--
Update: Here's an excerpt from an interesting interview of Shehzad Roy (source)

Both the song and the Laga Reh video effectively summarised the earlier political situation in the country. Do you think the song is still relevant?
Earlier during its making when I had expressed a similar concern, the director of the video, Ahsan, wittingly said that I need not worry about Laga Reh because no matter when the song was released listeners will relate to it. And do you know why? When I was 10, I heard on the 9'o clock news that Pakistan was going through a sensitive phase, and only two days back I heard Sheikh Rasheed saying the exact same thing all over again!
So tell me what has changed? We like to live in denial and keep going on about non-issues, but I also think change is coming. We need to talk about the right issues. I think both the album and the song will remain topical even five years from now. God help us if people can relate to it even after that.

Qismet has allegedly become a best-selling album. How do you feel about that?
Is it really that controversial? If it wasn't selling well I would have become a pauper by now! It was tough losing a sponsor but if I had known that the album wouldn't sell, I wouldn't have been able to bring out Qismet...The message that I am trying to impart through this album is that the general public in Pakistan has not been given an outlet to think for themselves with the outlet being the right education system.
Once our children start asking questions and demand an answer no leader can make a fool out of us. I also write for a section of the English press but writing, singing songs or going to talk shows won't change anything. You can only create an opinion with it. I could have come up with such an album before but Qismet came after I started working in the field and learned about the ground realities.
--
{P.S. You can donate to Shehzad Roy's awesome Paid to Learn campaign/Zindagi Trust here!}

Waqt by EP

2009-02-01T15:43:00.002-08:00

People get something wrong about this group & it puts them off. Well, let me clarify.

EP is NOT a wannabe Linkin Park. The groups Entity and Paradigm met one day & got together, and EP is what came out of it. In my opinion, they have excellent music, and dude, you can actually understand the words...totally not Linkin Park's thing.

I feel like this song right now. I love how it goes severe and tough one moment, softly sad the next.. & also the combination of Urdu music, the traditional flutes, with rock/rap.

Translation:

This is how the story goes, in and out.
One minute you're there, the next time runs out.
It's a figure of speech, as a matter of fact. Did you ever really think about the time you had?
It's the grain that falls, every second that crawls, to the minute to the hour--till infinity recalls. It's a barricade of twigs, that’s really never there.
Did you ever really think that time even cares?

I have a feeling that I hadn't given it thought:
time was running out, I kept walking.
Even in the shadows, there was a light.
In that light, a house was aflame.

So then, my heart wept--so what?
Time breaks expectations--so what?
We are going to make our own goals.
We will make time our own.

Become, become, become... Whatever I wish it to be... Become, become, become...

Here's a little something that you really can think about:
the time that got left and time that ran out.
Keeping in mind what I left behind, my sanity, my soul brought down to a fine line.
The pain, the shame--too late to quit this game.
I can never change....cuz i'm one of a kind.
Even if I wanted to, I couldn't decide...cuz I never really had time on my side.

Kept stumbling, kept being steadied.
In that silence, I kept dying.
Hope was the shade I sought.
Dreams were what I thirsted for.

So then, my heart wept--so what?
Time breaks expectations--so what?
We are going to make our own goals.
We will own time.

The dust-cloud's stupor left us drunk.
The lanterns that the curtains fell upon didn't light up--nor did their flames die out.

The dust-cloud's stupor left us drunk. The lanterns that the curtains fell upon didn't light up--nor did their flames die out....

Become, become, become... Whatever I wish it to be. Become, become, become...Whatever I wish it to be. Whatever I wish it to be. Whatever I wish it to be.
Just what I want it to become.

Vennilavae by A.R. Rehman

2009-02-01T15:30:00.000-08:00

Ok, I'm cheating. This is totally an Indian song. But my goray friends liked it so much, they asked me to translate. And it's a beautiful song, it's worth sharing. The composition is divine, and the choreography's lovely. Enjoy!

It's called Vennilavae (aka Chanda Re), and it's from the movie Minsaaru Kanavu (aka Sapnay). It's among my parents' favourite songs, so I grew up listening to it. I was 5 when the movie came out, and it was the lullaby in my family for some years.

Translation:

Moon, oh silvery moon, do come down to the ground sometimes
Sitting, we will talk away
Moon oh silvery moon, do come down to the ground sometimes
Sitting, we will talk away
When you come, if I get shy
Come by covering yourself up with dense clouds

[Repeat]

In gardens, gardens, flowers, flowers, flows this silk-like wind
In gardens, gardens, flowers, flowers, flows this silk-like wind
Jungles, jungles, mountains, mountains--everything is in slumber, except for me

Come my moon, let us bathe in the blue rivers of dreams
Come, let us hide in stars and celebrate defeat
Intertwining, intertwined paths, let us get lost in these

Masty by Ali Zafar

2009-02-01T15:26:00.000-08:00

Can you sit still with this song playing??

Translation
(sorry if I'm off by a bit, or a mile, & please let me know!)

[Chorus:] Oh, these are the days of fun, come on, let us sing, and dance, all of us
Oh, when everyone gathers, then tell: what will sadness be reduced to then?
Love requires life, let it never be refused
Even in our victories, nobody should lose
In all of eternity, all of us together as one, make up less than one moment

Oh, these are the days of fun, come on, let us sing, and dance, all of us

We walk and so the world revolves
We stop and then the sky sinks
Just say the word, and we will touch the moon,
However the night is like, wherever we dance

Oh listen to this, friends
This is your love
Oh listen to this, friends
This is your love
It revives me to life, every single time

Oh, these are the days of fun, come on, let us sing, and dance, all of us
Oh, when everyone gathers, then tell: what will sadness be reduced to then?

What was it that you saw in me--
After seeing which, made you throw your heart?
What was it that you recognized in me--
After knowing which, made you accept me?

Hey, listen, friends:
This love story!
Hey, listen friends:
This love story...

Relate to this...oh why are you worried?
Because these are the days of fun, let us sing and dance, all..
[Repeat chorus]

Sohniyae by Strings

2009-02-01T15:14:00.000-08:00

Who doesn't love Strings? At first listen, you know you want more. They always have beautifully worded songs, & memorable melodies.

J'adore this song! Although the vid isn't as special/beautiful as some others by them, it makes me nostalgic...Remember when it was always playing at the airports?

I love how chill and laidback Strings is here. They're the epitome of cool.

Their lyrics are poetic as always..luv when Bilal goes "nazaroan mein deykha...baharoan mein deykha.." (First time I've heard him with main vocals, usually that's Faisal, the older one.)

By the way, if I've made any mistakes in my translation, please let me know :)

Moon, peek....and hide.

Barriers, are, look...burning.

This heart desires that you won't leave.

Somebody, make this person see sense.

The night's sweet slumber...is you.

The path to my goals...is you.

This heart desires that you won't leave.

Somebody, make this person see sense.

Nananananana...my beloved..my beloved oh...

Life...she took with her...while smiling.

With scarf...face concealed.

This heart desires that you won't leave.

Somebody, make this person see sense.

I'm your prince, my princess.

Mad for you, my madness/love [pun]

Nananana..my beloved..my beloved oh...

In my homeland, you...were seen among the stars.

The way the sun's first rays are seen at the horizon's edges.

The way flowers are seen in the landscape.

Seen amongst the sights, seen amidst the scenery.

In my homeland, you...were seen among the stars.

Seen amongst the sights, seen amidst the scenery.

Moon, peek.

Fences, look...just...burn.

My heart desires that you won't leave.

Somebody, make these people see sense!

Nanananana..my beloved...my beloved oh...

2009-02-01T15:01:00.000-08:00

Who: Me, a decent girl from a decent khandan. I make decent food, too. Of course, if this were a marital ad, I would add that I am tall, fair, stylish, well-educated, and breathtakingly beautiful.

What: Blog that updates with translated lyrics of Pakistani music

Where: Here

Why: Because many Pakistanis live abroad, miss Pakistani culture, & don't know much Urdu...so they have to chase after more knowledgeable friends, cousins, and taxi drivers to decipher good songs for them. Then they give up & start listening to Linkin Park in despair. It's tragic, truly.

Also, I happen to be one of those Pakistanis. Translating song by song will improve my Urdu and make me less homesick.

---
Note: If you think a translation is off, let me know so I can correct it.