Chupke Chupke Raat Din Aansu Bahana Yaad Hai English Translation

Chupke chupke raat din aansu bahana yaad hai, translates to English as, I remember silently shedding tears night and day... It is a love song that was featured in the 1982 film Nikaah, and sung by Ghulam Ali, an extremely gifted and talented singer. In the lyrics, the central character is recalling all the events that took place that made him fall in love. In the screenplay, he is sitting on a type of lounge chair, listening to this song on record, and feeling sorry for him self...

A concept that does not translate so well is the significance of the woman pressing (dabana) on her finger with her teeth. In Eastern cultures, this is usually an expression of shyness or embarrassment, however it can be a sign of being timid or tongue-tied. Hence, in the lyrics, as he becomes more confident or bold (bey baak), she becomes more introverted and timid.

The way time is measured and expressed is also very different in Eastern cultures, and therefore it does not translate well. A single pahar is three hours, and two of these (do pahar) makes six hours beginning from 6.00 am, hence that makes the time mid-day. Therefore, in the translation we can simply use mid-day and cancel out do pahar.

All the lines flow nicely in the translation except the last two, which appear to be in the reverse order, hence the complete verse, reads; I remember you came onto your rooftop barefoot in the mid day sun to call for me. The significance here is that the rooftop would have been extremely hot due to the direct sunlight. She walked on it barefoot just to call for him, implies devotion, and sacrifice, etc.

Meaning and Context

The screenplay to this song was faithful to the lyrics, so even if you did not understand some of the words, you still had some idea of the subject matter.

Bey baak, confidence, as in mutma'in, pur-yaqiin, waasiq

Zamannah, colloquial term to mean those times, although it means epoch or era

Dabana, pressing, or biting appears more appropriate in this context

Chori-chori, secretly, as in ghaa'ebaanah

Muddat, duration of time, or period, as in aalam

Kona, side, or corner, as in alanng / baghal

Dafatan, unexpectedly, suddenly, rushingly, recklessly, hastily, rashly, as in bey tahaasha, andha dhund

Dupatte, a versatile piece of clothing that can cover the shoulders, or the head, or both at the same time. In this context, I call it scarf for simplicity sake.

Kothey, rooftop

Chupke, silently or quietly, as in choop (hindi) or choop-chaap

Yaad hai, I remember...

English Translation

Chupke, chupke, raat din, aansu, bahana yaad hai,

I remember silently shedding tears night and day,

humko, ab tak aashiqui ka woh, zamana yaad hai.

I still remember those times when I fell in love.

Tujhse milte hi, woh kuch, bey baak ho jana mera,

When I met you, somehow, my lack of self-confidence went,

aur, tera, daaton mein woh, ungli, dabana yaad hai.

and, I remember you biting your finger between your teeth.

Chori-chori, humse tum, aakar mile the jis jagah,

Secretely, I used to come to meet you, at that place,

muddate, guzari, par ab tak woh, thikana yaad hai.

much time has passed, yet I still remember it well.

Khench le na, woh mera, parde kaa, konaa daffatan,

I pulled your veil from my side unexpectedly,

aur dupatte se teraa, woh muuh chupana yaad hai.

and I remember, you hiding your face in the scarf.

Do pahar ki, dhoop mein, mere bulaane ke liye,

In the mid-day sun to call for me,

woh tera, kothey pe, nange paaon, aana, yaad hai.

I remember, you came onto your rooftop barefoot.