28. Bol Na Halke Halke (Jhoom Barabar Jhoom) - Poetry Translation Month
Cover of Rahat Fateh Ali Khan
There is something magical about the voice of Rahat Fateh Ali Khan. That magic when combined with the brilliance of Gulzar creates something truly magnificent.
Bol Na Halke Halke is one of those rare intimate songs that makes your heart skip a beat. The premise of the song is of a lover wishing for a soft conversation with the one he loves, such that their breath weaves into each other.
One of the most philosophically beautiful lines in the song is “Aa nind ka sauda karein, ik khwaab de, ik khwaab le”. The line talks about exchanging dreams. While the translation below (taken from 100 lyrics) implies the exchange is a barter for sleep, I always believed it to be symbol of accepting each others lives, in a sense that one takes ownership of the others dreams and treats it as their own.
The reason this song is one of my favorites is the fact that it can be interpreted in so many different ways.
Lyrics: Gulzar
Album: Jhoom Barabar Jhoom
Music: Shankar Ehsaan Loy
Vocals: Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Mahalaxmi Iyer
Dhaage tod laao chaanadani se noor ke
Ghoonghat hi bana lo roshani se noor ke
Sharm aa gayi toh aaghosh mein lo
Ho saanson se ulajhi rahein meri saansein
Bol na halke halke, bol na halke halke
Honth se halke halke, bol na halke
Come!
Let’s pluck threads of light
From the silvery moon-
And weave the threads
Into a veil of light
And perchance if I blush
Just pull me in your embrace-
Let the weave of my breath
Tangle into yours
Hush! speak softly!
Aa nind ka sauda karein, ik khwaab de, ik khwaab le
Ik khwaab toh aankhon mein hai, ik chaand ke takiye talein
Come!
Let’s swap our dreams
Barter them for sleep:
A dream lingers in your eyes
Another snuggles languorously
Against the pillow of the moon
Kitane dino se yeh aasamaan bhi soya nahi hai, isako sula de
Bol na halke halke, bol na halke halke
Honth se halke halke, bol na halke
Look!
The sky hasn’t slept for eons
Let’s sing it a lullaby
Hush! speak softly!
Umarein lagi kehate huve, do labj the ik baat thi
Woh ik din sau saal ka, sau saal ki woh raat thi
Kaisa lage jo chup chaap dono, ho pal pal mein puri sadiyaan bitaayein
Bol na halke halke, bol na halke halke…
It sure took a lifetime
To utter those two words
That single phrase
The day streched into centuries
And the night was a hunderd years long
Come!
Lets the two of us
Make these centuries
Fleet by in moments
Hush! don’t day a word!
Video:
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