deepad: black silhouette of woman wearing blue turban against blue background (Default)
Deepa D. ([personal profile] deepad) wrote in [community profile] forkedtongues2012-01-14 11:20 pm

Mora Gora Ang Layee Le by Gulzar

I'm writing a bunch of posts about books and languages and literature and so on over at my blog, and while I was talking about the film-maker and lyricist Gulzar, I tried to translate one of his earliest songs. Here's my attempt at it -
मोरा गोरा अंग लेई ले
मोहे श्याम रंग देई दे
छुप जाउंगी रात ही में
मोहे पी का संग देई दे

इक लाज रोके पैंयाँ
इक मोह खींचे बैय्यां
अब जाऊं किधर न जाऊं
मोहे का कोई बताई दे

मोरा गोरा अंग लेई ले
मोहे श्याम रंग देई दे
छुप जाउंगी रात ही में
मोहे पी का संग देई दे

बदरी हटा के चंदा
छुपके से झांके चंदा
तोहे राहू लागे बैरी
मुस्काए जी जलाई के

मोरा गोरा अंग लेई ले
मोहे श्याम रंग देई दे
छुप जाउंगी रात ही में
मोहे पी का संग देई दे

कुछ खो दिया है पाई के
कुछ पा दिया गवाई के
कहां ले चला है मनवा
मोहें बावरी बनाई के

मोरा गोरा अंग लेई ले
मोहे श्याम रंग देई दे
छुप जाउंगी रात ही में
मोहे पी का संग देई दे

-- गुल्ज़ार

Mora gora ang lai le
Mohe shyam rang dai de
Chup jaoongi raat hi mein
Mohe pee ka sang dai de

Ik lag roke paiyan
Ik moh kheenche baiyyan
Ab jaoon kidhar na jaaoon
Mohe ka koi batai de

Mora gora ang lai le
Mohe shyam rang dai de
Chup jaoongi raat hi mein
Mohe pee ka sang dai de

Badari hata ke chanda
Chupke se jhaanke chanda
Tohe rahu laage bairi
muskaye ji jalai ke

Mora gora ang lai le
Mohe shyam rang dai de
Chup jaoongi raat hi mein
Mohe pee ka sang dai de

Kuch kho diya hai pai ke
Kuch paa diya gavai ke
Kahan le chala hai manava
Mohe baavri banai ke

Mora gora ang lai le
Mohe shyam rang dai de
Chup jaoongi raat hi mein
Mohe pee ka sang dai de

-- Gulzar

Take away my body so white
and give me a skin the colour of night
So that I may hide in its dark embrace
and go to meet my heart's delight

My bashful feet still quietly stand
While lust is tugging at my hand
To go, and where (or not at all...)
Can anyone tell me to do what's right?

Take away my body so white
and give me a skin the colour of night
So that I may hide in its dark embrace
and go to meet my heart's delight

Pushing aside the clouds, the moon
silently staring down -- hey moon
may ill-wrought stars plague you
As you jealously mock my plight.

Take away my body so white
and give me a skin the colour of night
So that I may hide in its dark embrace
and go to meet my heart's delight

There's something I've lost in this taking
There's something I've earned with my breaking
I don't know where my mind is going now
mad-souled as it me has been making

-- Gulzar (Translated by Deepa D.)

The song, picturised on the incomparable Nutan, from the film Bandini: