tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56539202024-02-28T12:32:17.807-05:00muse...sculpting forms out of chaos – a verbal sandboxa k walahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08701500364571407757noreply@blogger.comBlogger47125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5653920.post-41970898794131530092019-12-27T23:06:00.013-05:002020-08-13T20:31:11.984-04:00Love, Love, Love (What is this Thing?)This fabulous <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asha_Bhosle#O._P._Nayyar">Nayyar-Bhosle</a> number is from the 1966 mystery drama <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061206/"><i>Yeh Raat Phir Na Aayegi</i></a> (This Night Won't Come Again). <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O._P._Nayyar">O. P. Nayyar</a>'s compositions for vocalist <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asha_Bhosle">Asha Bhosle</a> are in a class of their own – like <a href="https://learningandcreativity.com/silhouette/lata-mangeshkar-sings-for-madan-mohan/">Madan Mohan's compositions for Lata Mangeshkar</a>, Asha's sister. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mumtaz_(actress)">Mumtaz</a> lipsynchs the song on the screen. She brings a sly moxie to the pretense of star-crossed love in Aziz Kashmiri's lyrics.<br />
<br />
The purpose of this literal song and dance is to get the cross <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biswajit_Chatterjee">Biswajit</a> to make up with her. Her friends, played by extras prancing around awkwardly, look like they are trying to recreate a grade school production from their childhoods. They are apparently there to help with the endeavor but are redundant, Mumtaz has it covered quite nicely. The frowning Biswajit in the attire of the era's Manager, and carrying an easel and a canvas (he's quickly relieved of both by the extras), is probably annoyed because he came there to paint during his lunch break and wants to be left alone. Will Mumtaz's operatic proclamations of devotion make him give in and ditch his dabbling in art?<br />
<br />
Yes, all this is undeniably fabulous. I've listened to and watched this many times and have yet to tire of it. Hence this translation. I've tried to maintain the original meter and the translation isn't exact, but it's correct. The chorus, for instance, translates to "What is this thing called love?" I wanted the line to start with "love" like it does in the original, and the Hindi/Hindustani word for single-syllable "love" in the original has three syllables: मोहब्बत (<i>mohabbat</i>). "Love, love, love – what is this thing?" starts with "love" and has the same meter as the original, plus I think it's catchy.<br />
<br />
The video of the song follows the translation below.<br />
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<br />
<div class="title">
Love, Love, Love (What is This Thing?)
<div class="indic_title">
<div class="title_itrans indic">
mohabbat chIX hai kyA?
</div>
<div class="title_devanagari indic"><span lang="hi-IN">
मोहब्बत चीज़ है क्या?
</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<!-- <br/> -->
<br/>
<div class="stanza">
<div class="translation">
Torturer, the hope of mercy from you – those who have may well have,
<br/>
What I would like to see is to what extent you can be ruthless.
</div>
<div class="indic_stanza">
<div class="itrans indic">
sitamgar tujhse ummId-e-karam hogI jinheM hogI,
<br/>
hameM to dekhnA yah hai ki tU XAlim kahA.N tak hai.
</div>
<div class="devanagari indic"><span lang="hi-IN">
सितमगर तुझसे उम्मीद-ए-करम होगी जिन्हें होगी,
<br/>
हमें तो देखना यह है कि तू ज़ालिम कहाँ तक है.
</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="chorus">
<div class="translation">
Love, love, love – what is this thing?
<br/>
I’ll fall in love, see what it's like!
<br/>
What is it that is called death?
<br/>
I’ll die for love, see what it's like!
</div>
<div class="indic_chorus">
<div class="itrans indic">
mohabbat chIX hai kyA?
<br/>
mohabbat kar ke dekheMge!
<br/>
qaXA kahte hai kisko?
<br/>
kisI par mar ke dekheMge!
</div>
<div class="devanagari indic"><span lang="hi-IN">
मोहब्बत चीज़ है क्या?
<br/>
मोहब्बत कर के देखेंगे!
<br/>
क़ज़ा कहते है किसको?
<br/>
किसी पर मर के देखेंगे!
</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<br/>
<div class="stanza">
<div class="translation">
It’s a very beautiful promise that to this heart I have made,
<br/>
To give away my life for you, that is what I intend to do.
<br/>
To give away my life for you, that is what I intend to do.
<br/>
Where is love's crucifixion?
</div>
<div class="indic_stanza">
<div class="itrans indic"><div>
ba.DA hI KUbsUrat dil se vAdA kar liyA hamne,
<br/>
ki tum par jAn dene kA irAdA kar liyA hamne.
<br/>
ki tum par jAn dene kA irAdA kar liyA hamne.
<br/>
kahA.N hai pyAr kI sUlI?
</div></div>
<div class="devanagari indic"><span lang="hi-IN">
बड़ा ही ख़ूबसूरत दिल से वादा कर लिया हमने,
<br/>
कि तुम पर जान देने का इरादा कर लिया हमने.
<br/>
कि तुम पर जान देने का इरादा कर लिया हमने.
<br/>
कहाँ है प्यार की सूली?
</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="chorus">
<div class="translation">
Where is love’s crucifixion?
<br/>
I’ll bear that cross, see what it's like!
<br/>
Love, love, love – what is this thing?
</div>
<div class="indic_chorus">
<div class="itrans indic">
kahA.N hai pyAr kI sUlI?
<br/>
yah sUlI cha.Dh ke dekheMge!
<br/>
mohabbat chIX hai kyA?
</div>
<div class="devanagari indic"><span lang="hi-IN">
कहाँ है प्यार की सूली?
<br/>
यह सूली चढ़ के देखेंगे!
<br/>
मोहब्बत चीज़ है क्या?
</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<br/>
<div class="stanza">
<div class="translation">
At your door this heart of mine stands as love's petitioner,
<br/>
With those intoxicating eyes behold empty stands the heart's carafe.
<br/>
With those intoxicating eyes behold empty stands the heart's carafe.
<br/>
Can the carafe run over?
</div>
<div class="indic_stanza">
<div class="itrans indic">
tumhAre dar pe dil apnA mohabbat kA savAlI hai,
<br/>
nashIlI A.NkhoM se dekho surAhI dil kI KAlI hai.
<br/>
nashIlI A.NkhoM se dekho surAhI dil kI KAlI hai.
<br/>
Chalak jAtI hai kaise?
</div>
<div class="devanagari indic"><span lang="hi-IN">
तुम्हारे दर पे दिल अपना मोहब्बत का सवाली है,
<br/>
नशीली आँखों से देखो सुराही दिल की ख़ाली है.
<br/>
नशीली आँखों से देखो सुराही दिल की ख़ाली है.
<br/>
छलक जाती है कैसे?
</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="chorus">
<div class="translation">
Can the carafe run over?
<br/>
I’ll fill it up, see what it's like!
<br/>
Love, love, love – what is this thing?
</div>
<div class="indic_chorus">
<div class="itrans indic">
Chalak jAtI hai kaise?
<br/>
surAhI bhar ke dekheMge!
<br/>
mohabbat chIX hai kyA?
</div>
<div class="devanagari indic"><span lang="hi-IN">
छलक जाती है कैसे?
<br/>
सुराही भर के देखेंगे!
<br/>
मोहब्बत चीज़ है क्या?
</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<br/>
<div class="stanza">
<div class="translation">
Until when, sweetheart, will I have to be tested in this way?
<br/>
Just smile and let’s hear a bit of your decision, kind sir.
<br/>
Just smile and let’s hear a bit of your decision, kind sir.
<br/>
Upon your decision…
</div>
<div class="indic_stanza">
<div class="itrans indic">
liyA jAyegA kab tak jAneman yauM imtihA.N apnA?
<br/>
sunA do muskurA kar faislA kuCh meharbA.N apnA.
<br/>
sunA do muskurA kar faislA kuCh meharbA.N apnA.
<br/>
tumhAre faisale par…
</div>
<div class="devanagari indic"><span lang="hi-IN">
लिया जायेगा कब तक जानेमन यौं इम्तिहाँ अपना?
<br/>
सुना दो मुस्कुरा कर फ़ैसला कुछ मेहरबाँ अपना.
<br/>
सुना दो मुस्कुरा कर फ़ैसला कुछ मेहरबाँ अपना.
<br/>
तुम्हारे फ़ैसले पर…
</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="chorus">
<div class="translation">
Upon your decision
<br/>
I’ll die of joy, see what it’s like!
<br/>
Love, love, love – what is this thing?
<br/>
I’ll fall in love, see what it's like!
<br/>
What is it that is called death?
<br/>
I’ll die for love, see what it's like!
</div>
<div class="indic_chorus">
<div class="itrans indic">
tumhAre faisale par
<br/>
KushI se mar ke dekheMge!
<br/>
mohabbat chIX hai kyA?
<br/>
mohabbat kar ke dekheMge!
<br/>
qaXA kahte hai kisko?
<br/>
kisI par mar ke dekheMge!
</div>
<div class="devanagari indic"><span lang="hi-IN">
तुम्हारे फ़ैसले पर
<br/>
ख़ुशी से मर के देखेंगे!
<br/>
मोहब्बत चीज़ है क्या?
<br/>
मोहब्बत कर के देखेंगे!
<br/>
क़ज़ा कहते है किसको?
<br/>
किसी पर मर के देखेंगे!
</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<br />
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a k walahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08701500364571407757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5653920.post-60290017024637879092018-01-31T01:01:00.001-05:002021-02-02T16:21:55.582-05:00A Secret Within My LipsThis cryptic song is from <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewel_Thief">Jewel Thief</a></i>, a caper thriller from 1967. Some of its credits are the same as my <a href="http://muse.mythicflow.com/2018/01/today-again-its-desire-to-live.html">previous translation</a>: producer and actor Dev Anand, director and editor Vijay Anand, music director S.D. Burman, and choreographer B. Sohanlal. The song is an intense dance number that precedes the movie’s climax. This is another example of Vijay Anand’s skill at making a song and dance sequence an integral part of the story-telling. Dancer and actor <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vyjayanthimala">Vyjayanthimala</a>’s grace is matched by cinematographer V. Ratra’s long, tracking shots circling around her. Her movements and expressions convey the mysterious forebodings of the song. She is what Majrooh Sultanpuri’s ominous lyrics describe as a “fire-like body floating around.” <a href="https://learningandcreativity.com/silhouette/s-d-burman/">S.D. Burman</a> was known to have traveled <a href="https://countercurrents.org/2017/02/24/the-unique-musical-creations-of-kumar-sachin-dev-burman-and-their-roots-in-the-reeds-and-soil-of-bengal-part-i/">across Bengal</a> collecting indigenous folk music, the <a href="https://countercurrents.org/2017/02/25/the-unique-musical-creations-of-kumar-sachin-dev-burman-and-their-roots-in-the-reeds-and-soil-of-bengal-part-ii/">influence</a> of which is evident in this composition.<br />
<br />
This translation, like the <a href="http://muse.mythicflow.com/2018/01/today-again-its-desire-to-live.html">previous one</a>, retains the meter of the original. It is also a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinglish">Hinglish</a> translation, leaving some common words untranslated (meanings visible upon hovering and in footnotes).<br />
<br />
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ITRANS" rel="nofollow">ITRANS</a> is the scheme I used for the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devanagari_transliteration" rel="nofollow">transliteration</a> (romanization), with the help of <a href="http://www.virtualvinodh.com/wp/aksharamukha/" rel="nofollow">Aksharamukha</a>, an online transliterator.<br />
<br />
A video clip of the song from the movie follows the translation.<br />
<br />
I’ve <a href="https://pinboard.in/u:dmql8/t:JewelThief">collected links</a> to some writings about the movie.<br />
<br />
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<div class="title">
A Secret Within My Lips
<div class="indic_title">
<div class="title_itrans indic">hoThoM meM aisI bAt</div>
<div class="title_devanagari indic"><span lang="hi-IN">होठों में ऐसी बात</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<br />
<div class="chorus">
<div class="translation">
A secret pressed within my lips I left and came away,
<br />The secret which if revealed... a curse, oh what a curse!
<br />Yeah, oh yeah,
<br />The secret in which there is love but
<br />There’s also poison, oh!
</div>
<div class="indic_chorus">
<div class="itrans indic">
hoThoM meM aisI bAt maiM dabAke chalI AI
<br />khul jAe vahI bAt to… duhAI hai duhAI!
<br />hA.N re hA.N,
<br />bAt jis meM pyAr to hai,
<br />Xahar bhI hai, hAy!
</div>
<div class="devanagari indic"><span lang="hi-IN">
होठों में ऐसी बात मैं दबाके चली आई,
<br/>खुल जाए वही बात तो… दुहाई है दुहाई!
<br/>हाँ रे हाँ,
<br/>बात जिस में प्यार तो है,
<br/>ज़हर भी है, हाय!
</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<br/>
<div class="stanza">
<div class="translation">
The night, black like a cobra, has come into its youth,
<br />Yeah, oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!
<br />My, oh my, who will be bitten by this hour!
<br />If I turn and look back
<br /><i><abbr title="Anklet">pAyal</abbr></i>* on my feet suffer,
<br />If I walk ahead all of the courtyard begins to throb!
<br />Within my lips, oh…
</div>
</div>
<div class="indic_stanza">
<div class="itrans indic">
rAt kAlI nAgin sI huI hai javA.N,
<br />hA.N re hA.N, hA.N, hA.N, hA.N!
<br />hAy daiyA kisko DasegA yah samA!
<br />jo dekhUM pIChe mu.D ke
<br />to pag meM pAyal ta.Dpe,
<br />Age chalUM to dha.DaktI hai sArI aMganAI
<br />hoThoM meM hAy…
</div>
<div class="devanagari indic"><span lang="hi-IN">
रात काली नागिन सी हुई है जवाँ,
<br />हाँ रे हाँ, हाँ, हाँ, हाँ!
<br />हाय दैया किसको डसेगा यह समा!
<br />जो देखूं पीछे मुड़ के
<br />तो पग में पायल तड़पे,
<br />आगे चलूं तो धड़कती है सारी अंगनाई।
<br />होठों में हाय…
</span></div>
</div>
<div class="chorus">
<div class="translation">
A secret pressed within my lips I left and came away,
<br />The secret which if revealed… a curse, oh what a curse!
</div>
<div class="indic_chorus">
<div class="itrans indic">
hoThoM meM aisI bAt maiM dabAke chalI AI
<br />khul jAe vahI bAt to… duhAI hai duhAI!
</div>
<div class="devanagari indic"><span lang="hi-IN">
होठों में ऐसी बात मैं दबाके चली आई,
<br/>खुल जाए वही बात तो… दुहाई है दुहाई!
</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<br/>
<div class="stanza">
<div class="translation">
The way in which my fire like body floats around,
<br/>Yeah, oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!
<br/>My long hair goes one way, my <i><abbr title="A veil or headscarf worn by a woman to cover her head and face.">ghU.NghaT</abbr></i>** goes another,
<br/>And now my earring breaks off!
<br/>Oh, and my <i><abbr title="A red dot worn by a woman on the center of her forehead.">biMdI</abbr></i>*** leaves me!
<br/>I’ve become the eschaton now as I pandiculate.
<br/>Within my lips, oh…
</div>
<div class="indic_stanza">
<div class="itrans indic">
aise merA jvAlA sA tan laharAe,
<br/>hA.N re hA.N, hA.N, hA.N, hA.N!
<br/>laT kahIM jAe ghuMghaT kahIM jAe,
<br/>are ab jhumkA TUTe!
<br/>ki merI biMdiyA ChUTe!
<br/>ab to banke qayAmat letI hU.N aMga.DAI
<br/>hoThoM meM hAy…
</div>
<div class="devanagari indic"><span lang="hi-IN">
ऐसे मेरा ज्वाला सा तन लहराए,
<br/>हाँ रे हाँ, हाँ, हाँ, हाँ!
<br/>लट कहीं जाए घूँघट कहीं जाए,
<br/>अरे अब झुमका टूटे!
<br/>कि मेरी बिंदिया छूटे!
<br/>अब तो बनके क़यामत लेती हूँ अंगड़ाई।
<br/>होठों में हाय…
</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="chorus">
<div class="translation">
A secret pressed within my lips I left and came away,
<br />The secret which if revealed… a curse, oh what a curse!
<br />Yeah, oh yeah,
<br />The secret in which there is love but
<br />There’s also poison, oh!
</div>
<div class="indic_chorus">
<div class="itrans indic">
hoThoM meM aisI bAt maiM dabAke chalI AI
<br />khul jAe vahI bAt to… duhAI hai duhAI!
<br />hA.N re hA.N,
<br />bAt jis meM pyAr to hai,
<br />Xahar bhI hai, hAy!
</div>
<div class="devanagari indic"><span lang="hi-IN">
होठों में ऐसी बात मैं दबाके चली आई,
<br/>खुल जाए वही बात तो… दुहाई है दुहाई!
<br/>हाँ रे हाँ,
<br/>बात जिस में प्यार तो है,
<br/>ज़हर भी है, हाय!
</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
* <i>pAyal</i>: Anklet
<br />
** <i>ghU.NghaT</i>: Veil or headscarf worn by a woman to cover her head and face
<br />
*** <i>biMdI</i>: Red dot worn by a woman on the center of her forehead
</div>
<br />
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ldShz64Rf9s" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>a k walahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08701500364571407757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5653920.post-11374731529371925842018-01-25T22:09:00.000-05:002019-12-28T19:10:21.884-05:00Today Again It's the Desire to Live!This is an English translation of a hit song from the acclaimed, classic Hindi (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindustani_language" rel="nofollow">Hindustani</a>, to be accurate) movie, <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guide_(film)" rel="nofollow">Guide</a></i> (1965), which is based on R. K. Narayan’s novel, <i>The Guide</i>. It is about the corruption and <a href="https://oak.ucc.nau.edu/jgr6/narayan_the_guide.htm" rel="nofollow">Vedic</a> redemption of the titular tourist guide, Raju (Dev Anand, also the producer). It is also the story of Rosie (Waheeda Rehman), who leaves an unhappy marriage and, with Raju’s encouragement and help, follows her heart to do what she loves, dance. This song is Rosie’s declaration of her newfound will. Shailendra’s lyrics express a mix of innocent optimism, apprehension and resolve. S. D. Burman’s composition is celebratory and cheerfully assertive. It is obvious from this song why director Vijay Anand, the producer/actor’s younger brother, is considered a "master of song picturization" – he also shares editing credit with Babu Sheikh. With cinematographer Fali Mistry's shots of Waheeda Rehman dancing at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chittor_Fort">Chittor Fort</a>, Vijay Anand creates a spectacular depiction of Rosie’s aspiration and daring. Watch for the low-angle tracking shot showing Rosie dancing fearlessly on one of the walls of the old fort – a video clip of the song from the movie follows the translation.<br />
<br />
In this translation I have tried to maintain the meter of the original song. For this reason, the translation is not exact in some places, but it maintains the meaning of the original. I chose to keep a couple of Hindi words because they aren’t gracefully translatable and sound better than the translation. Technically, therefore, this is a <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-rise-and-rise-of-hinglish-in-india-53476" rel="nofollow">Hinglish</a> translation.<br />
<br />
For the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devanagari_transliteration" rel="nofollow">transliteration</a> (romanization) I used the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ITRANS" rel="nofollow">ITRANS</a> scheme for the Devanagari script – <a href="http://www.virtualvinodh.com/wp/aksharamukha/" rel="nofollow">Aksharamukha</a> is the most reliable online transliterator I found. The translation of every verse/chorus below is followed by its transliterated and Devanagari versions. <br />
<br />
If you'd like to see translations of more classic Bollywood songs, check out <a href="https://mrandmrs55.com/" rel="nofollow">Mr. & Mrs. 55</a>. They've also <a href="https://mrandmrs55.com/2017/05/20/aaj-phir-jeene-ki-tamana-lyrics-and-translation-lets-learn-urdu-hindi/" rel="nofollow">translated this very song</a>.<br />
<br />
Much has been written about this movie as well as the book on which it is based. <a href="https://pinboard.in/u:dmql8/t:Guide/" rel="nofollow">I've collected links to some of it</a>.
<br /><br />
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<div class="post-body title">
Today Again It's the Desire to Live!
<div class="indic_title">
<div class="itrans indic">
Aj phir jIne kI tamannA hai!
</div>
<div class="title_devanagari indic"><span lang="hi-IN">
आज फिर जीने की तमन्ना है!
</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<br/>
<div class="stanza">
<div class="translation">
Out of the thorns I pulled my <i><abbr title="The loose end of a saree or a dupaTTA (a long, scarf like garment) that is wrapped around the front of a woman's torso.">A.Nchal</abbr></i>*,
<br />Broke all my bonds and tied on <i><abbr title="Anklet; here it means ghu.NghrU, a musical anklet with small bells worn by dancers.">pAyal</abbr></i>** –
<br />Nobody hold back the flight of my heart…
<br />There goes my heart!
</div>
<div class="indic_stanza">
<div class="itrans indic">
kA.NToM se khIMch ke yah A.Nchal,
<br />to.D ke baMdhan bA.NdhI pAyal –
<br />koI na roko dil kI u.DAn ko…
<br />dil vah chalA!
</div>
<div class="devanagari indic"><span lang="hi-IN">
काँटों से खींच के यह आँचल,
<br />तोड़ केे बंधन बाँधी पायल –
<br />कोई न रोको दिल की उड़ान को…
<br />दिल वह चला!
</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="chorus">
<div class="translation">
Today again it's the desire to live!
<br />Today again it's the intention to die!
</div>
<div class="indic_chorus">
<div class="itrans indic">
Aj phir jIne kI tamannA hai!
<br />Aj phir marne kA irAdA hai!
</div>
<div class="devanagari indic"><span lang="hi-IN">
आज फिर जीने की तमन्ना है!
<br />आज फिर मरने का इरादा है!
</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<br/>
<div class="stanza">
<div class="translation">
I’m not under my own control,
<br />My heart’s somewhere and I’m elsewhere –
<br />What was it that my life found I wonder,
<br />It smiled and said…
</div>
<div class="indic_stanza">
<div class="itrans indic">
apne hI bas meM nahIM maiM,
<br />dil hai kahIM to hU.N kahIM maiM –
<br />jAne kyA pA ke merI XiMdgI ne
<br />ha.Ns kar kahA…
</div>
<div class="devanagari indic"><span lang="hi-IN">
अपने ही बस में नहीं मैं,
<br />दिल है कहीं तो हूँ कहीं मैं –
<br />जाने क्या पा के मेरी ज़िंदगी ने
<br />हँस कर कहा…
</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="chorus">
<div class="translation">
Today again it's the desire to live!
<br />Today again it's the intention to die!
</div>
<div class="indic_chorus">
<div class="itrans indic">
Aj phir jIne kI tamannA hai!
<br />Aj phir marne kA irAdA hai!
</div>
<div class="devanagari indic"><span lang="hi-IN">
आज फिर जीने की तमन्ना है!
<br />आज फिर मरने का इरादा है!
</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<br/>
<div class="stanza">
<div class="translation">
I am dust blowing, I am a storm!
<br />Can someone tell me where I am?
<br />I fear that I’ll get lost on the journey,
<br />It’s a new road…
</div>
<div class="indic_stanza">
<div class="itrans indic">
maiM hU.N GubAr yA tUfA.N hU.N!
<br />koI batAe maiM kahA.N hU.N –
<br />Dar hai safar meM kahIM kho na jAU.N maiM,
<br />rastA nayA…
</div>
<div class="devanagari indic"><span lang="hi-IN">
मैं हूँ ग़ुबार या तूफ़ाँ हूँ!
<br />कोई बताए मैं कहाँ हूँ –
<br />डर है सफ़र में कहीं खो न जाऊँ मैं,
<br />रस्ता नया…
</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="chorus">
<div class="translation">
Today again it's the desire to live!
<br />Today again it's the intention to die!
</div>
<div class="indic_chorus">
<div class="itrans indic">
Aj phir jIne kI tamannA hai!
<br />Aj phir marne kA irAdA hai!
</div>
<div class="devanagari indic"><span lang="hi-IN">
आज फिर जीने की तमन्ना है!
<br />आज फिर मरने का इरादा है!
</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<br/>
<div class="stanza">
<div class="translation">
Came out of the dark of yesterday
<br />And saw as I was rubbing my eyes
<br />Flowers abound, life is primavera,
<br />I’ve decided…
</div>
<div class="indic_stanza">
<div class="itrans indic">
kal ke aMgheroM se nikal ke
<br />dekhA hai A.NkheM malte malte
<br />phUl hI phUl, XiMdgI bahAr hai,
<br />tay kar liyA…
</div>
<div class="devanagari indic"><span lang="hi-IN">
कल के अंघेरों से निकल के
<br />देखा है आँखें मलते मलते
<br />फूल ही फूल, ज़िंदगी बहार है,
<br />तय कर लिया…
</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="chorus">
<div class="translation">
Today again it's the desire to live!
<br />Today again it's the intention to die!
</div>
<div class="indic_chorus">
<div class="itrans indic">
Aj phir jIne kI tamannA hai!
<br />Aj phir marne kA irAdA hai!
</div>
<div class="devanagari indic"><span lang="hi-IN">
आज फिर जीने की तमन्ना है!
<br />आज फिर मरने का इरादा है!
</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
* <i>A.Nchal</i>: The loose end of a saree or a <i>dupaTTA</i> (a long, scarf like garment) that is wrapped around the front of a woman's torso.
<br />
** <i>pAyal</i>: Anklet; here it means <i>ghu.NghrU</i>, a musical anklet with small bells worn by dancers.
</div>
<br />
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BpLyDTEw3Z4" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>
a k walahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08701500364571407757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5653920.post-54333599580739423332015-11-20T21:54:00.000-05:002018-01-28T13:59:08.653-05:00CumSlow<br />
stabs of twilight<br />
broken at light's end<br />
carve out an ache.<br />
<br />
Crowds of time<br />
converge<br />
in dutiful longing<br />
at mind's precipice.<br />
<br />
Love<br />
dull as the day<br />
seeks night's mirage<br />
of touch not felt.<br />
<br />
Moments crumble<br />
like words<br />
peeling from paint<br />
on formless walls. a k walahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08701500364571407757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5653920.post-23496529244873756542013-07-28T15:49:00.001-04:002013-07-28T15:49:19.975-04:00qqotd: pica, doula, maverick, dreck<p><i>...plus: <a href="http://www.quadrivialquandary.com/archive/2013/07/27">cineast, portend, additament</a></i></p>
<p>
Yesterday we saw a <b>cineast</b>'s brain eating pasta made from film stock; the <b>pica</b> on display today is of a <b>doula</b> who compulsively eats any undiscarded <b>dreck</b> she can find in the home of the baby she has just helped deliver, usually to the relief of the parents who tend to dread the rare instance when she doesn't have this compulsion because that <b>portends</b> that the baby will grow up to be a stubborn and powerful <b>maverick</b> who will seek to alter the town's consensual architectural decisions by demanding <b>additaments</b> designed to represent the cognitive dissonance in the townfolks' cherished norms and morés.
</p>
<p><i>Cross-posted: <a href="http://www.quadrivialquandary.com/archive/2013/07/28">QuadrivialQuandary.com</a></i></p>a k walahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08701500364571407757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5653920.post-31483181352060065042013-07-27T19:32:00.001-04:002013-07-27T19:32:20.491-04:00qqotd: pica, portend, cineast, additament<p>
"For a <b>cineast</b>," he famously said, "films, even some bad ones, are cerebral and spiritual sustenance," which is what inspired the starving brain's ravenous devouring of the film stock pasta, an odd <b>pica</b> if seen literally but it doesn't imply the brain's descent into madness any more than the seemingly incongruous <b>additament</b> of a large HDTV to the optic nerve <b>portends</b> a diminution of intellectual heft.
</p>
<p>
<i>Cross-posted: <a href="http://www.quadrivialquandary.com/archive/2013/07/27">QuadrivialQuandary.com</a></i>
</p>a k walahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08701500364571407757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5653920.post-70615916005347224832012-02-12T04:18:00.000-05:002018-01-28T13:59:33.970-05:00I KnowMy heart is a mess, this much I know<br />
No words to be found as such, I know<br />
<br />
There is but shame to survive the pain<br />
A pinch of a nerve, a touch I know<br />
<br />
Don't kill the man for beauty's sake, love<br />
Your eyes will long for that, much, I know<br />
<br />
Give life its death and live tonight<br />
Dreams are no match for how much I know<br />
<br />
Ill-gotten are all your woes, that's true<br />
When fate arrives that's your crutch, I know<br />
<br />
A name, not a feeble sigh, Aslam,<br />
Is what's yours but not to touch, I know<br />
<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">(This is in the form of a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghazal">ghazal</a>.)</span>a k walahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08701500364571407757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5653920.post-57195677561362665012011-08-08T00:58:00.006-04:002018-01-28T14:00:21.020-05:00Grieving<p dir=ltr>Time should be more in tune<br>
Casbahs are only rocked so often;<br>
The dirge should melt into the rhythm<br>
As words leave their melodies behind </p>
<p dir=ltr>Dances of thought in silence, crying<br>
To the beating of a dull heart...<br>
That's what lasts into the mourning<br>
Where all awaits tomorrow's demise</p>
<p dir=ltr>Never in sight or touch or smell<br>
But the rain falls just as well —<br>
It's not a young night that goes by<br>
Sultry streets of monsoons unseen </p>
<p dir=ltr>There is no love in the wind, just<br>
A light breeze of midnight's charm —<br>
That's how morning, lone, awakens to<br>
Day's jagged, kaleidoscopic glares</p>
<p dir=ltr>Don't give that old lust a name or face<br>
It's not as empty as its sin<br>
But averse to being who you've become<br>
In the lap of night, this far from time</p>a k walahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08701500364571407757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5653920.post-88913280033315403482010-10-14T18:55:00.003-04:002010-10-14T19:15:38.992-04:00When the moment grabs you<div class="posterous_autopost">...don't you dare play hard to get! It's _the_ moment, AKA Godot, and you only know of it because you wait for it. If some odd, serendipitous confluence has caused it to intersect your timeline then, the laws of Physics be damned, just make room for it in your space-time and hang on to it for dear life.<br />
<br />
Yes, it's here and now... and no, you vain fool, it wasn't looking for you. You were the one waiting, remember? Because that's all that you could scare up: draining, debilitating, unmoving patience. A sham of a virtue, raised to the desiccated level where possibilities become sterile.<br />
<br />
Happenstance being your only hope, submit to this one as if death had been rendered extinct by rampant constancy. It is your only chance to live, to thrive, to be consumed to your very core, to ravenously craft your exquisite ruin.</div>a k walahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08701500364571407757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5653920.post-86995613133236037382010-09-10T14:07:00.002-04:002010-09-23T20:44:21.754-04:00obstreperous<div class='posterous_autopost'><p>That's the word that came to mind as I began trying out <a href="http://posterous.com">this self-consciously named lifestream app</a>. Yes, you-who-know-me, that's not me, but that is what my subconscious unconsciously wants me to be.</p></div>a k walahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08701500364571407757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5653920.post-64090313683624594982010-01-11T17:15:00.001-05:002010-01-11T17:18:59.144-05:00qqotd: sacerdotal, Sapphic, pied-à-terre, flagitiousIt was the Catholic Church's mishandling and cover-ups of the scandals that he felt was the most <b>flagitious</b> of the sordid goings on, and it soured his <b>sacerdotal</b> aspirations, leaving him bereft of his sole source of solace after he learned that his wife had been exploring her <b>Sapphic</b> desires at their beach-side <b>pied-à-terre</b> without ever offering to let him watch.<br />
<br />
<i>Cross-posted: <a href="http://www.quadrivialquandary.com/archive/2010/01/11">QuadrivialQuandary.com</a></i>a k walahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08701500364571407757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5653920.post-9968293536253030552009-12-04T14:17:00.008-05:002009-12-19T00:31:54.036-05:00qqotd: savoir-faire, piffle, leviathan, gallimaufry (plus a few earlier ones)When <a href="http://www.QuadrivialQuandary.com">QQ</a> is a linguistic <span style="font-weight:bold;">leviathan</span> with sole authority to regulate and police sesquipedalianism, it will ensure that no public square, real or virtual, is without a <span style="font-weight:bold;">gallimaufry</span> of long words in every language and a rich <span style="font-weight:bold;">macédoine</span> of examples of their usage in groups of four; but, despite its awesome power and the ubiquity of its <span style="font-weight:bold;">myrmidons</span>, there will be <span style="font-weight:bold;">piffling</span> subversives among its ranks who will weaken the prevailing <span style="font-weight:bold;">esprit de corps</span> with <span style="font-weight:bold;">claptrap</span> disguised as charm and <span style="font-weight:bold;">savoir-faire</span>.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-style:italic;">Cross-posted: <a href="http://www.quadrivialquandary.com/archive/2009/12/04">QuadrivialQuandary.com</a></span>a k walahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08701500364571407757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5653920.post-3046989190503768972009-12-03T13:46:00.002-05:002018-01-30T17:33:57.178-05:00qqotd: chef-d'oeuvre, flaneur, winnow, roborantAnother pointless morning, countless days into the media fuss over his one and only <span style="font-weight:bold;">chef-d'oeuvre</span>, he spotted two <span style="font-weight:bold;">roborant</span> words in the Classifieds that rescued him from the morass of notoriety: "<span style="font-weight:bold;">Flaneurs</span> Wanted," the ad read, "Explore the landscapes of your choice, physical or otherwise, at your pace, on your terms, with our implanted, patent-pending Human Condition Aggregator (HCA) that will <span style="font-weight:bold;">winnow</span> from your experiences (and those of other networked testers) the beta version of the Human Condition Genome (TM)."<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Cross-posted: <a href="http://www.quadrivialquandary.com/archive/2009/12/03">QuadrivialQuandary.com</a></span>a k walahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08701500364571407757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5653920.post-38544971935216442632009-12-01T18:56:00.003-05:002018-01-30T17:34:30.868-05:00qqotd: amour-propre, hebetude, disputatious, coutureUsing the latest <span style="font-weight:bold;">couture</span>, he mixed and matched popular designers to create au courant, sartorially iconoclastic attires that had a <span style="font-weight:bold;">disputatious</span> effect at fashion events, thus replenishing his <span style="font-weight:bold;">amour-propre</span> with a vindicating superiority over the <span style="font-weight:bold;">hebetude</span> of the unimaginative designers who were far more influential than he.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Cross-posted: <a href="http://www.quadrivialquandary.com/archive/2009/12/01">QuadrivialQuandary.com</a></span>a k walahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08701500364571407757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5653920.post-90109192061325650662009-11-29T17:52:00.003-05:002009-12-01T18:47:38.077-05:00qqotd: scienter, languish, imbroglio, malleableThis mind, this macédoine of passionate fancies, fickle enthusiasms and perverse proclivities, is ultimately a listless <span style="font-weight:bold;">imbroglio</span> <span style="font-weight:bold;">languishing</span> in the confines of corporeal possibilities, accused of renouncing <span style="font-weight:bold;">scienter</span> its storied ability to keep reality <span style="font-weight:bold;">malleable</span> in the face of all manner of relentless adversity.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Cross-posted: <a href="http://www.quadrivialquandary.com/archive/2009/11/29">QuadrivialQuandary.com</a></span>a k walahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08701500364571407757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5653920.post-39310848596556709532009-11-25T18:01:00.003-05:002009-12-01T18:50:10.565-05:00qqotd: videlicet, shill, temerarious, BrobdingnagianKnowing that the farmers had been indentured for generations, he picked the most <span style="font-weight:bold;">temerarious</span> youths in the village, trained them in the Universal Capitalist Arts, <span style="font-weight:bold;">videlicet</span> price gouging, predatory lending, bait and switch, etc., and sent them off to the powerful and ruthless money-lenders to <span style="font-weight:bold;">shill</span> for his plans for building a <span style="font-weight:bold;">Brobdingnagian</span> shopping mall on the villagers' farms. <br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Cross-posted from <a href="http://www.quadrivialquandary.com/archive/2009/11/25">QuadrivialQuandary.com</a>.</span>a k walahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08701500364571407757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5653920.post-62907805669048260872009-11-24T23:59:00.003-05:002009-12-01T18:51:05.549-05:00qqotd: cap-a-pie, claptrap, macédoine, martinetAmidst the <span style="font-weight:bold;">macédoine</span> of antique furniture and objets d'art, he stood uandorned, wearing <span style="font-weight:bold;">cap-a-pie</span> the adoring gaze of his mistress, which the <span style="font-weight:bold;">martinet</span> she was playing couldn't belie; so, when she pointed the whip at him and said, "I don't want to hear any mushy, romantic <span style="font-weight:bold;">claptrap</span> from you," he could tell she was finding it difficult to stay in character and he knew that the magic between them was gone.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">[qqotd = <a href="http://www.quadrivialquandary.com/archive/2009/11/24">QuadrivialQuandary</a> of the day]</span>a k walahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08701500364571407757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5653920.post-17932142124830702702009-11-23T16:29:00.004-05:002009-12-01T18:52:07.420-05:00qqotd: doggo, gestalt, pedantic, benisonWhen challenged, his characteristically <span style="font-weight:bold;">pedantic</span> response was that sitting <span style="font-weight:bold;">doggo</span> (except for pressing buttons on the remote) and staring at TV shows, his only <span style="font-weight:bold;">benison</span>, just about summed up the <span style="font-weight:bold;">gestalt</span> of his existence.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Cross-posted from: <a href="http://www.quadrivialquandary.com/resolutions/295">QuadrivialQuandary.com</a></span>a k walahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08701500364571407757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5653920.post-8042871809210574972009-11-22T11:13:00.005-05:002009-12-01T18:53:01.493-05:00qqotd: nettle, leaven, mollycoddle, affableShe seemed at her <span style="font-weight:bold;">affable</span> best, greeting every insufferable guest with charm and poise, as if she had decided to <span style="font-weight:bold;">mollycoddle</span> their fragile egos, which she later told me was precisely the case, and that every time one of them <span style="font-weight:bold;">nettled</span> her with their self-importance, it only <span style="font-weight:bold;">leavened</span> her distaste for the milieu she had married into and fortified her resolve to escape from it.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Cross-posted from <a href="http://www.quadrivialquandary.com/archive/2009/11/22">QuadrivialQuandary.com</a>.</span>a k walahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08701500364571407757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5653920.post-30890991943262071592009-11-21T15:41:00.003-05:002009-12-01T18:54:01.864-05:00qqotd: nettle, plicate, pittance, germaneIn the picture he sat on an exquisite yet unassuming chair that he had designed, against the backdrop of sheer, <span style="font-weight:bold;">plicate</span> curtains through which you could see the lake outside the window, all of which <span style="font-weight:bold;">nettled</span> me because he had made for himself a much nicer home than my suburban McMansion, despite earning a <span style="font-weight:bold;">pittance</span> compared to my seven-figure income and never ever considering success to be <span style="font-weight:bold;">germane</span> to his life.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Cross-posted from <a href="http://www.quadrivialquandary.com/archive/2009/11/21">QuadrivialQuandary</a>.</span>a k walahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08701500364571407757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5653920.post-74093370181492374722009-11-20T16:27:00.007-05:002009-12-01T18:54:56.146-05:00qqotd: nettle, Jezebel, galvanize, billingsgateThe <span style="font-weight:bold;">Jezebel</span> married the quantum physicist for his beautiful mind and bragged about him to <span style="font-weight:bold;">nettle</span> her many paramours enough to <span style="font-weight:bold;">galvanize</span> their alpha-male instincts, which made them try to outdo his genius with the intensity of their lovemaking, but her deceit paled in comparison to her husband's who was taping the poetic <span style="font-weight:bold;">billingsgate</span> she tended to spew in conversation and publishing it as his own in the prestigious Journal of Slumming Geniuses.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Cross-posted from <a href="http://www.QuadrivialQuandary.com/archive/2009/11/20">QuadrivialQuandary.com</a>.</span>a k walahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08701500364571407757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5653920.post-50022908070416873292009-11-18T20:08:00.006-05:002009-12-01T18:55:48.804-05:00qqotd: expiate, buttress, littoral, exegesisPut a couple of drinks in him and any mention of writing will launch him into an <span style="font-weight:bold;">exegesis</span> of his last novel set in a small, coastal town where watching the <span style="font-weight:bold;">littoral</span> erosion seems to be the favorite pastime and the inhabitants zealously prosecute tourists caught using pot, as if to <span style="font-weight:bold;">expiate</span> their own epidemic of meth addiction and <span style="font-weight:bold;">buttress</span> their respectability among neighboring communities.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">[qqotd = <a href="http://www.quadrivialquandary.com">QuadrivialQuandary</a> Of The Day]</span>a k walahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08701500364571407757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5653920.post-80479337818317893942009-05-24T21:21:00.004-04:002022-07-15T21:02:03.245-04:00When Tomorrow Comes<p>
Take the train that left the station when tomorrow comes
<br />
Give in to the lost temptation when tomorrow comes
</p>
<p>
Hope and lust will grow a tree and shade forever
<br />
Mediocre aspiration when tomorrow comes
</p>
<p>
Books lined up to fend off love between breathing bookends
<br />
Left bereft of sublimation when tomorrow comes
</p>
<p>
All the prickly heat desire soothes to pamper touch
<br />
Won't subside and save sensation when tomorrow comes
</p>
<p>
Left alone with TV shows, time will make peace with space
<br />
Skip the ads of admonition when tomorrow comes
</p>
<p>
Groundhogs scared of shadows and robins obsessed with Spring
<br />
Will tell tales of pride in nation when tomorrow comes
</p>
<p>
In the heart of fortune lies the blind comfort of bliss
<br />
Drink from fountains of damnation when tomorrow comes
</p>
<p>
The mess, Aslam, at meaning's last horizon of faith
<br />
Could show proof of evolution when tomorrow comes
</p>
<span style="font-style:italic;">(A <a href="http://www.slate.com/id/91836/">ghazal</a>. I had some fun with this one -- goes from personal/"deep" to silly to topical, tries to mix it all up, and isn't ashamed of a few clichés...)</span>a k walahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08701500364571407757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5653920.post-40786524550890503032009-05-18T22:23:00.002-04:002022-07-15T20:45:01.407-04:00And Lie<p>Quiet truths rise with evening's fall from grace and lie<br />
Morning beckons dreams to fly in life's face and lie</p>
<p>No more, no less, this everlasting absent time<br />
What demise will life's work adorn, efface and lie?</p>
<p>Win for me love's lavender bounty in daylight<br />
My prize, I pray, this time I won't deface and lie</p>
<p>Soon it will begin, the promised epoch of naught<br />
Today's still moment must know this disgrace and lie</p>
<p>Worlds turn, Aslam, dancing with all of your past loves<br />
Would that you could eke out one true embrace and lie</p>
<span style="font-style: italic;">(This is a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghazal">ghazal</a>.)</span>a k walahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08701500364571407757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5653920.post-42969514477530859302009-05-12T01:04:00.000-04:002009-05-12T01:05:05.305-04:00HappinessAttention abates as soon as <br />the distraction fades<br /><br />Colors don't dance on<br />the macular focal points<br />once illumination strikes<br /><br />Inevitable dreams find<br />time's lost interstices<br />rummaging through the recesses<br />of accumulated skins<br /><br />Comforts stand witness<br />to the reclines of last resort<br />on a separate plane of touch<br />innocent of the pain<br /><br />The road's end is everywhere<br />the distance knows<br />its festering stories<br /><br />Home is the unknown<br />that outlasts all wisdoma k walahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08701500364571407757noreply@blogger.com0