Sunday 9 February 2014

O Saathi Re (Omkara)

Had a long day (went out in the evening and then had to work all night afterward), so am too tired to write up a more than a quick post today. I want to write about the band I saw, but I can't do them justice in a hurry. So instead, have another gorgeous song from Vishal Bhardwaj. This is one of the best, if not THE best, duet I've heard in recent times. Achingly beautiful.The translation is again courtesy my best friend K:

O Saathi Re (sung by Shreya Ghoshal and Vishal Bharadwaj, music by Vishal Bharadwaj)

O saathi re din doobe na
Aa chal din ko roke
Dhoop ke peechhe dauDen
Chhaanv chhuen na
O saathi re
O saathi re din Doobe na

O my companion/ friend, let the day not sink
Come let us stop the day
Run after the sunlight
Never touch the shade
O my friend
O my friend, let the day not sink

Thaka thaka suraj jab nadi se hokar niklega
Hari hari kaayi pe paanv baDha to fislega
Tum rok ke rakhna 
Main jaal giraaun
Tum peeTh pe lena 
Main haath lagaaun
din Doobe na

When the tired sun runs down by the river
If he steps on the green, green moss, he will slip
You stop him there, I'll throw in the net (fishing net)
You take it on your back, I'll give you my hand (to haul the net in)
The day mustn't end

Teri meri atti patti
daat se kaati katti
Re jaiyyo na 
O peehoo re
O peehoo re, na, jaiyyo na

This quarrel of yours and mine (the words atti-patti don't mean anything, but are implying a playful fight)
Biting fingers in katti
Oh don't go away
O song bird, 
O song bird, no, don't go away

(You know, like when kids fight, they say katti, and sometimes its done by biting the tip of your little finger and saying - katti, go away, i won't talk to you... but of course you only say katti to your friends.)

Kabhi kabhi yun karna 
Main Daantun aur tum Darna

Do this sometimes too - I'll scold and you get scared

Ubal pade aankhon se 
MeeThe paani ka jharna

A waterfall of sweet water spills out of your eyes
Tere kohre badan mein 
Sil jaaungi re
Jab karwat lega 
Chhil jaaungi re

I'll get sewn into your dark body
When you turn (in sleep) I will be flayed

Sang le jaaunga
I'll take you with me 

Teri meri angni mangni
Ang sang laagi sangni
Sang le jaaun 
O peehu re 

This union of ours (the words angni-mangni don't mean anything, but ang means body and mangni is engagement)
My companion is against my body 
I'll take you with me
O my songbird

O saathi re din Doobe na
Aa chal din ko roken
Dhoop ke peechhe dauDen
Chhaanv chhuen na
O saathi re

And here's the video which makes me want to watch the movie right NOW. The sequence in the beginning is so beautifully shot.

5 comments:

  1. I posted a comment that disappeared. Anyways, crux of it, just realized something about this translation.

    Errata: "Tere kohre badan mein..." refers to the body as fog-like rather than dark... i feel darkness and intensity are implied. "kohra" means fog. its used in similes to mean hard to discern, as in a dense fog.

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  2. Are you sure it is kohre though? This video with lyrics - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pT-5j1aQcPI - says that line is "Tere dohhre badan mein". What does dohhre mean?

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  3. its "kohre"...(a) listen. (b)"dohre" indeed... what a lyrics website. (dohre means double, repeated.)

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  4. Well, it is from the film's distributors, so you'd think they'd know better. And I did listen (just listened again) and I can't make it out. But yeah, now that I know dohre means double, it obviously doesn't fit at all.

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  5. Lovely translation. But yes it's "dohre badan" the front and back of a body. Her beloved wants to get so close to him as if stitched to is body and if he turns, the stitching will get unstitched i.e. she'll get bruises. This means she can't bear separation from her beloved.

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