Kiran Ahluwalia

Vo kuch aise man main samae hua hain
Vo aisai khayalon main chhai hua hain

Muhabbat main hum yun akele challe hain
Unhe is tapish say bachaye huai hain

Suna hai rakeebon say un ban hai unki
Umeedon ki shamma jalaye hua hain

Nahin Tahira kuch zamane say shikwa
Yeh gham khud khushi say uthai huai hain

He has completely gripped my emotions

as if taken hold of my thoughts.


On the path of love I tread alone
so I can save him the anguish.


Rumour has it that he has fallen out with my rivals.

This has brightened my light of hope.


Tahira why should I complain against the world

when I can myself bear this grief happily.

Il a complètement enflammé mon coeur
Et envahi mes pensées.
Je marche seule dans la voie de l’amour
Pour lui en épargner l’angoisse.
On dit qu’il s’est brouillé avec mes rivales.
Mon espoir n’en brûle que davantage.
Pourquoi, Tahira, m’en plaindre au monde
Puisque je vis cette douleur avec joie?

Yeh nahi kai yahin atai hua aaiy hain yahan
Ham kahin aur ko jatai hua aaiy hain yahan

Gard alood hai lekin samjho to sahi
Khak barson ki udatai hua aai hain yahan

Raushani hai to likho nam hamara bhi kahin
Ungaliyan ham bhi jalatai hua aai hain yahan

It is not that I intended to come here
but the path has led me here.

Laced with dust though I am, yet please consider
that for years I have been wandering dusty paths.

In my travel I too have become a martyr of sorts.
This should be enough to earn me some fame too.

French Traduction
Ce n’est pas que j’aie voulu venir ici
C’est ce chemin qui m’y a mené.
Tout poudré que je suis, songe seulement
Que j’avance depuis tant d’années sur des chemins poussiéreux.
Mon errance a fait de moi presque un martyr.
J’en devrais retirer moi aussi un certain renom.

Jhanjra nu hole hole vajan de goriye
Nazar na tanu lag jaye
Hai nazar na tanu lag jaey

Teri taur morni Vangu
We tere naina das gai ne sanu
Reshmi dupata nall
Kaag leh ni goriye
Nazar na tanu lag jaye

Chum chum kardi pehla paya
Ja ve lakh machka vain
Hai zakhmi kardi jave
Tanu mag ishk da lageya
Ni tanu chah javani da chariya
Chan jay mukhre nu kaj leh ni goriye
Nazar na tanu lag jaye

Let the sound of your ankle bells ring out
But not to loudly
God forbid your flamboyancy from attracting
envious looks.

Your walk is like the dance of a peacock
Your gaze has revealed everything
With your silk scarf shied yourself
from envious looks

walking with the swing of your hips
to the music of your ankle bells
Your newly discovered youth
Is like cupid’s arrow – piercing the hearts of many.

Ma-e-ni mainu Ranjha milaiya
Rab da roop vatakay
Sakhi ree ni mai Ranjha paya
Apna app mitakay

Ma-e-ni kuj enj chari
Mere lau di laal haneri
Kuj nai reh gaya mai vich mera
Mai nahi reh gaee meree

I found my beloved.
He appeared as the image of heaven
My friend, I found my beloved.
I lost myself.

The intoxication of my passion
overwhelmed me
and I lost myself.

Ve haniya koka karva de ve maiya koka, ve haniya…
Kar ke kaul nibhona nahi, O eh ta sajna thokha

Sajna pyariya da akha naiyo modida, jurda na ehho channa dil naiyo todida.
Rab dilla vich rahai soneya, Bule Shah da hoka

Kar de ne oho loki badi channa bhul ve, puch de ne pyar di nishani da jo mul ve.
Suche pyar da karida nahi, sajna lekha jokha

Sajna hussan mera denda e duhai ve, gore gore rang di tu kadar na paiye ve
Har savan di rut hai kanu, paie jave soka

O my love you promised to get me a gold nose ring.
So don’t be deceitful and break your promise.

One should not deny the requests of a lover because a broken heart cannot be mended.
As the great poet, Bule Shah* said, “a lover’s heart is God’s abode”.

Those who put a price on love are sadly mistaken.
In true love you don’t expect anything in return; you just keep giving.

My youth and beauty are crying out for you. In this romantic rainy season
why not appreciate my beauty with the gift of a nose ring.
*Bule Shah was one of the great Punjabi poets of the16th century.

O mon amour, tu m’as promis une boucle pour le nez.
Ne me trompe pas et tiens ta parole.

Il ne faut pas ignorer les désirs d’une maîtresse; un cœur brisé ne se répare pas. Pour le grand poète Bule Shah*, le cœur d’un amant est la demeure de Dieu.

L’amour mesuré est une funeste erreur.
L’amour vrai ne demande pas de retour : il ne fait que donner.

Ma jeunesse et ma beauté se meurent de toi. La saison des pluies est douce :
Pourquoi ne pas honorer ma beauté d’une boucle pour le nez?

Yaar ki koi khabar lata nahi.
Daam labau par hai nikal jata nahi.

Ji mai ata hai kai mai sajdai karoo.
Benamazi hoon jhuka jata nahi.

Yah elahi kaun si manzil hai who.
Jo gaya vapas idhar atat nahi.

Ji mai ata hai kai mai majnoo banu.
Dar badar mujhse phira jata nahi.

I wish someone would bring me the news of my beloved before I breathe my last breath.

I wish I could get back my lost love with prayers.
But all my life I have never prayed and now I don’t know how.

What kind of a place is it where one goes and never returns?

I wish I could search for my love like Majnu* but I do not have the strength or the courage to tread the unknown path.

*Majnu is a tragic romantic figure in Punjabi folklore.

Ik Ranjha mainoo lodi da
Ranjha jeha mainoo hor na koi
Minta kar kar mori da

Maan waliyan de nain saloone
Sooha dupata gori da

Aap tur jandan naal maji de
Sanu kyon beliyon mori da

(last verse written by Shah Hussain)
Main vi jhok ranjhan di jana
Nal mere koi chale
Minta kardi tarle paundi
Jana taan piya ekale

I am searching for my lover, Ranjha,
I am pleading with him to come back.

My proud beloved has beautiful eyes
and is adorned with the colour of passion.

Ranjha, the shepherd walks away with his cattle,
I am left alone in the fields.

I want to go to where Ranjha is.
I have pleaded for others to accompany me.
In the end I must go alone.

Je cherche mon amant, Ranjha,
Je l’implore de revenir.
Il est fier, son regard est beau,
Mon amant porte les couleurs de la passion.
Ranjha, le berger s’en va avec son troupeau,
Je reste seule au champ.
Je veux aller là où est Ranjha.
J’ai supplié les autres de m’accompagner.
Mais je ne peux qu’y aller seule.

Kina nere ho ho baithan, fair ve doori reh jan di ai
Oodi maree yari vali, ghazal adhuri reh jan di ai

Ruh kalboot deh sare panchhi, ik ik kar kai ud jan dai nen
Pinjara khali ho jan da ai, hath wich choori reh jan di ai

Sara sona rul janda ai, miti deh wich dhul jan da ai
Nam we apna bhul jandai ai, sab mashhuri reh jan di ai

Yaar Nadeem eh ilma, amla kisnu paar langaya eh
Rah de vich he kidre sajna eh mazdoori reh jandi eh

Regardless of how close I sit to my lover
there is still a distance between us,
and so my love song remains unsung.

My soul leaves my body like a bird takes flight.
Despite all my riches I feel the isolation of an empty cage.

What value is my fame if
before my love I cannot recall my own name.

O Nadeem, what value are my knowledge and good deeds
if this labour is left behind when my soul leaves.

What is the worry if I cannot find God,

when my own footprints cannot be found.


Translated by Saleem Qureshi

Kina nere ho ho baithan, fair ve doori reh jan di ai
Oodi maree yari vali, ghazal adhuri reh jan di ai

Ruh kalboot deh sare panchhi, ik ik kar kai ud jan dai nen
Pinjara khali ho jan da ai, hath wich choori reh jan di ai

Sara sona rul janda ai, miti deh wich dhul jan da ai
Nam we apna bhul jandai ai, sab mashhuri reh jan di ai

Yaar Nadeem eh ilma, amla kisnu paar langaya eh
Rah de vich he kidre sajna eh mazdoori reh jandi eh

Regardless of how close I sit to my lover
there is still a distance between us,
and so my love song remains unsung.

My soul leaves my body like a bird takes flight.
Despite all my riches I feel the isolation of an empty cage.

What value is my fame if
before my love I cannot recall my own name.

O Nadeem, what value are my knowledge and good deeds
if this labour is left behind when my soul leaves.

What is the worry if I cannot find God,

when my own footprints cannot be found.


Translated by Saleem Qureshi

Meri gori gori mangdi kalayee, ve peeliyaan liyade churiyaan.

Pila pila suit teri chheet kaun pauna, leh ve chunni ve ranga kay os rang di.
Kanka kavanriya nay khushi vich jhoomna, jay vekhlen murabayaan to laangdi.
Saron diyan phoolan cho gavachi je na labi, apai ankhainga basant rut aayee.

Shala jug jive mere sah deya haniya, ve mundri karade merey hath noon.
Chan diyaan reeshma toon tand kadh paday dagha, meri ve suhag vali nath noon.
Balnon bagair sar suttangi shareek, banh chuk jan lavangi angarayee.

Ditay si sambhalne noon gokhru men jeth, taayee oh ve tut paina leh ke beh gaya.
Puchhiya te akhi oh te gayai ne gavach, vich vich eh jathanee taae keh gaya.
Jaan chak pooch bhaithi aaj ve main onu, teri vigaree phiray bharjai.

My love, my beautiful empty wrists are
calling out for some yellow bangles.

With the yellow bangles I will wear my yellow suit,
so you might as well also get a matching *chunni for me.
With my yellow garments I will blend in the fields of flowers.
It will be like spring has arrived.

My love may you live a long life,
may you buy me a ring as well.
It will be nice to also get a new nose ring
as beautiful as the moon.

I gave my gold bangles to my older brother-in-law for safekeeping
but when I asked for them back
he claimed he had lost them.
Since then my sister-in-law is upset with me.

*long scarf

Je les porterai avec mon costume jaune;
Donne-moi donc en plus un chunni (longue écharpe) assorti.
Habillée de jaune, je me fondrai dans les champs de fleurs.
On pensera que le printemps est arrivé.

Puisses-tu vivre longtemps, mon amour,
Et puisses-tu m’acheter un anneau.
J’aimerais aussi avoir une nouvelle boucle pour le nez,
Une boucle aussi belle que la lune.

J’avais confié mes bracelets en or à mon beau-frère aîné
Mais lorsque je les lui ai réclamés
Il les avait égarés.
Depuis, ma belle-sœur est fâchée avec moi.

Mujhhe jisse muhabbat thi who ek awara auraat thi.
Lihaaza who baddi sada dilli sai pesh aati thi

Nihayat husan sai aa kar marai kamrai ko sajati thi.
Aur lo ras pi lo yeh keh kar apnai hothon ko badhati thi
Aur kehti thi mujhe tum jaisai sathi ki zaroorat thi

Mai use hoore janat noor ki putli samajhta tha.
Haseen shadaab phoolon ki hasi rani samajhta tha
Jisse devi samajhta tha fakqat pathar ki murat thi

Mai hasta tha un dinoon mujhe hasnai ki aadat thi. Mujhe log aa aa kai samjhatai thai, who aise hai, who wasi hai. Mai kehta tha tanaz sai maloom hai mujhko bhi jaise hai. Na thi aisi, na hai aise, no hogi ab kabhi aisi Yeh shak sita pai duniya wale teri duniya bhi kaisi hai

I fell in love with a fickle woman. At first she appeared very simple and honest.

She brought beauty to my home and offered me the sweet nectar of her love.
She claimed that she needed a partner just like me.

I used to think she was the goddess of love – blessed with heavenly beauty.
Alas, my goddess turned out to be only a sculpture made of stone.

In my youth I was carefree and fun loving. I never paid any attention to the warnings that people gave me. I thought I knew my love well. I used to laugh at what people told me and wonder why they wouldn’t leave this goddess of love alone – my goddess Sita.