yoon bekhudee se kaam liya hai kabhee-kabhee

 

After couple of weeks of monsoon related illnesses, this is the first day of feeling back to being fully fit. Back to normal. By normal means, my hands naturally hold a tab and the mind automatically find some rarely heard (called HALT, Hearing After Long Time by my friends) song by who else;  Mere Saahaab. Mohammed Rafi.

 

So that’s how it was yesterday morning. The tab found this gem of a song which is private ghazal composed by Iqbal and lyrics by Saba Afgani.

 

Its an extremely short and concise ghazal with the radeef “kabhi kabhi” being repeated at end of each line.

 

The lyrics go as:

यूँ बेख़ुदी से काम लिया है कभी-कभी,

अर्श-ए बरीं को थाम लिया है कभी -कभी  ।

 मैंने तुम्हें पुकार लिया है तो जुर्म क्या

तुमने भी मेरा नाम लिया है कभी -कभी ।

अब तक नज़र में हैं पलकें तेरी झुकी झुकी,

यूँ भी तेरा सलाम लिया है कभी -कभी ।

ये इन्तिहा-ए-मस्ती और रिन्दी है सबा ,

 साक़ी ने हम से जाम लिया है कभी -कभी ।

 यूँ बेख़ुदी से काम लिया है कभी-कभी ….

Meaning of difficult words as follows :

बेख़ुदी = Oblivious to onself

इन्तिहा-ए-मस्ती = Utmost limit of fun

रिन्दी = Drunkard

अर्श ए बरीं = highest sky. Eighth heaven is the highest as per faith.

साक़ी = Bartender

 

To read this in English script

yoon bekhudee se kaam liya hai kabhee-kabhee,

arsh-e bareen ko thaam liya hai kabhee -kabhee

 

mainne tumhen pukaar liya hai to jurm kya

tumane bhee mera naam liya hai kabhee -kabhee

 

ab tak nazar mein hain palaken teree jhukee jhukee,

yoon bhee tera salaam liya hai kabhee -kabhee

Ye intiha-e-mastee aur rindee hai saba ,

saaqee ne ham se jaam liya hai kabhee -kabhee .

yoon bekhudee se kaam liya hai kabhee-kabhee ….

 

Loose translation to English by google uncle :

 

Sometimes I have acted without any self-control,

 

Sometimes I have held the throne of the sky.

 

If I have called you, what is the crime,

 

You have also taken my name sometimes.

 

Your eyelids are still in my sight, lowered,

 

Sometimes I have taken your greetings like this.

 

This is the height of intoxication and promiscuity, Saba,

 

The bartender has taken a drink from me sometimes.

 

Sometimes I have acted without any self-control….

 

 

To listen to the ghazal, please click on https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=UruxrCbU_4fwYusR&v=uBd7_mwNfR8&feature=youtu.be

Disclaimer : I am not a knowledgeable person of Urdu language or Ghazal format. The information and meaning of words has been taken from google and noted what appealed to me as correct in order to enjoy this melody.