ud jayega...

i just translated this for a friend, and thought to share it with the rest of you. kabir's words always inspire, after all, and when kumar gandharva lends his voice to them, nothing short of bliss is to be experienced :).

ud jayega hans akela...

Ud jayega hans akela
Jag darshan ka mela
Jaise paat gire taruvar ke
Milna bahut duhela
Na jaanu kidhar girega
Lagya pawan ka rela
Ud jayega ...

The swan will fly away alone
From the festivities that make up this world
The way the leaves of the tree fall
And are difficult to find
Who knows where it will fall
Who knows where the wind will blow it to

Jab howe umar poori
Tab chhootega hukum huzoori
Jam ke doot bade mazboot
Jam se para jhamela

When this life is complete
Then we shall cease to be slaves
The messengers of Yama are powerful
Thanks to Yama, we will overcome this charade

Das Kabir Hara ke gun gaave
Vaahar kou paar na paaye
Guru ki karni guru jayega
Chele ki karni chela

Kabirdas sings the praises of the Lord
None can escape this Truth
He who does as a Guru will achieve his end suitably
As will he who is the disciple

shabnam virmani's films on kabir are showing these days, at stanford and berkeley, and have left me floored entirely. the themes she explores and the manner in which she does so are spellbinding. i may sound overly effusive on occasion, but so far, the auditoria have been running full, and everyone else appears to be as impacted. if you are conveniently located, in space and time, do check these out. it is the second of these films - koi sunta hai - that is on 'kumar and kabir'. this song is featured in that film and is a beauty to behold.