Saying what’s in your heart…
Once again after a long break, I am back with another song to talk about. This time the song doesn’t belong to any Bollywood movie but is a Ghazal sung by the ‘king of ghazals’ Jagjit Singh ji.
‘Ghazal’ in themselves are a different genre of poetry altogether. Hard to translate the idea of a ghazal into English, which originated somewhere around 7th century CE from Arabic poetry and spread more prominently, in the middle East and Indian subcontinent with the advent of Sufism, from 12th century onwards.
Ghazals are mostly based on themes of passionate love, the grief of separation and (sometimes exaggerated) appreciation of beauty. It consists of couplets or ‘sher‘ which are connected with each other by a common theme but at the same time, are also independently holistic in their meaning. The words are laced with heavy emotions and so profound, that mere words can make you cry. To understand how powerful words can be, Ghazals are a prime example. They might sound ambiguous or even absurd at first hearing, but it takes time for the deeper meaning to sink in.
A ghazal conveys very strong emotions, and a ghazal in the mellifluous voice of Jagjit Singh, more so. The ghazal king has sung and composed hundreds of ghazals, all the while, bringing it to the forefront of Indian classical art forms by choosing relatable ghazals and simple melodies which became popular for this genre of music in India.
I chose this ghazal to translate because it describes an upsetting situation and possibly a heart-break. The feelings of sadness are profound, yet the words so simple. It is one of my favourite ghazals to listen to every time the heart gets spurned. The song is from one the most famous albums of Jagjit Singh, Saher (dawn). A very well-curated collection of ghazals from famous ghazal writers, and each one of the songs is a real gem.
As far as the current ghazal is concerned, not a lot is known or written anywhere about the writer of the ghazal. The writer’s name is given as Iqbal Azim, which according to my research, must be the Sayid Iqbal Azeem of Bengal fame. A famous Urdu poet and Urdu language scholar born in Meerut in 1913, who served as a professor in both Uttar Pradesh as well as Bangladesh. He died the same year when the album came out in 2000, and therefore could be thought of as a tribute to him.
The ghazal is melancholy and sad in its expression, although it refuses the use of strong words to express that deep grief. And that is where the beauty lies in this piece of poetry. The poet sounds quite hurt and innocent at the same time. The final couplet (called the ‘maqta‘), mentions the name of the poet, Iqbal, as a part of the poetry. This practice of mentioning the poet’s pen-name in the last couplet is known as Takhallus, which was adopted for the first time during the 12th century Persian Ghazal writing era and is known as one of the most significant modifications to ghazal writing contributed by Persian poets.
Listen to the soulful ghazal here. Translating this one has been the most challenging effort to date.
Male: Tumne dil ki baat keh di
Tumne dil ki baat keh di, aaj ye achchhaa hua
Tumne dil ki baat keh di, aaj ye achchhaa hua
Hum tumhe apna samajhate the, bada dhokha hua
Tumne dil ki baat keh di
English: You said what’s in your heart
You said what’s in your heart, today, it’s good that it happened
You said what’s in your heart, today, it’s good that it happened
I understood you as my own, it was a great deception that happened
You said what’s in your heart
Jab bhi hamne kuchh kaha, uska asar ultaa hua
Jab bhi hamne kuchh kaha, uska asar ultaa hua
Aap shaayad bhoolte hain, baarahaa aisa hua
Aap shaayad bhoolte hain, baarahaa aisa hua
Tumne dil ki baat keh di, aaj ye achchhaa hua
Tumne dil ki baat keh di
English: Whenever I said anything, an entirely contrary effect happened
Whenever I said anything, an entirely contrary effect happened
Perhaps you are forgetting that time after time, it happened
Perhaps you are forgetting that time after time, it happened
You said what’s in your heart, today, it’s good that it happened
You said what’s in your heart
Apki aankho me ye aansu kahaan se aa gaye
Apki aankho me ye aansu kahaan se aa gaye
Hum to deewane hai lekin aapko ye kya hua
ham to deewane hai lekin aapko ye kya hua
tumne dil ki baat keh di
English: These tears in your eyes, how come that it happened
These tears in your eyes, how come that it happened
I am anyway a crazy lover, but to you, what is it that happened
I am anyway a crazy lover, but to you, what is it that happened
You said what’s in your heart
Ab kisi se kya kahen, Iqbal apni dastaan
Ab kisi se kya kahen, Iqbal apni dastaan
Bas khuda ka shukr hai jo bhi hua achchhaa hua
Bas khuda ka shukr hai jo bhi hua achchhaa hua
Tumne dil ki baat keh di, aaj ye achchhaa hua
Hum tumhe apnaa samajhate the bada dhokha hua
Tumne dil ki baat keh di
English: Now Iqbal, what is the use of telling my tale to anybody, about whatever happened
Now Iqbal, what is the use of telling my tale to anybody, about whatever happened
Only God should be thanked, for it was all very good whatever happened
Only God should be thanked, for it was all very good whatever happened
You said what’s in your heart, today, it’s good that it happened
I understood you as my own, it was a great deception that happened
You said what’s in your heart
Glossary:
- Baat: Talk. In this context, the literal meaning is talk of the heart, which means saying whatever is in your heart.
- Aaj: Today
- Achchhaa: Good
- Apna: Of or belonging to self, own
- Samajhana: To understand
- Bada: Big, great
- Dhokha: Cheating, deception or mistake
- Jab: When, whenever
- Asar: Effect or influence
- Ultaa: opposite or contrary
- Shaayad: Maybe, perhaps
- Bhoolna: To forget
- Baarahaa: Many times, often. Baar is time and baarhaa is its plural form.
- Aisa: This
- Aansu: Tear(s)
- Kahaan: From where or where
- Deewana: Crazy or mad, mostly due to love and affection
- Lekin: But
- Kya: What
- Kisi: Anyone
- Dastaan: A long story or tale
- Khuda
- Shukr: To be thankful for or praise or appreciate something or someone
The Heritage Chutney 