Before I Forget…

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
But make allowance for their doubting too…..

If you can dream–and not make dreams your master,
If you can think–and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same; …..

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings–nor lose the common touch; …..
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And–which is more–you’ll be a Man, my son !

“If” by Rudyard Kipling

…badaa hee gehraa daag hai yaaron jis kaa ghulaami naam hai.
deep is this scar, this scar called slavery.
us kaa jeenaa bhi kyaa jeena jiska desh ghulam hai.
how utterly shameful to continue to live a shackled life.
seenay mein jo dil thaa yaaron, aaj banaa woh sholaa.
the heart that flickered in me has exploded today into flames.
mayraa rang de basanti cholaa, maae rang de basanti cholaa…
color me the color of martyrdom, o great mother, color me the color of martyrdom…

This is such a deep lyric that a literal translation does no justice at all.  Through so few words, Gulzar Saab paints a picture as big as the sky itself.  Of course, RD’s haunting melody works like magic here as well….

…jal gaye jo dhoop mein to saayaa ho gaye
LITERAL : when burnt in the harsh sun, I became a shadow
INTERPRETED : the tough lessons of life I learnt well, so others later may pass in peace

aasamaan kaa koi kona oda so gaye
LITERAL : I covered myself with some corner of the sky and slept
INTERPRETED : I found solace in the smallness of me

jo guzar jaatee hai bas uspe guzar kartay hain…
LITERAL : that which passes, on that alone I manage
INTERPRETED : through it all, I feel lucky to have lived at all…

In my opinion, Gulzar is one of the most gifted lyricists to ever grace the Hindi film scene.  I tuned into the BBC this past Sunday (totally by chance) and caught a part of his interview.  I feel truly lucky to have located it online.  A gem of a find.

(click thumbnail for audio which is about 8 mins long)

Allah tayro naam, Eeshvar tayro naam
sabako sanmatee day Bhagwaan.
o saarey jag kay rakh-vaale
nirbal ko bal daynay vaale, balvaano ko dayday gyaan…

Allah is your name, Eeshvar is your name
O Lord, grace all people with peace and contentment.
O great keeper of the world
Bestower of strength to the meek, bless the strong with wisdom…