Zuban Pe Dard Bhari Dastan Chali Aayi English Translation

Zuban pe dard bhari dastan chali aayi, translates to English as, Upon (my) tongue came a story full of sadness... It is a wonderfully meaningful song that Mukesh sings with emotion, and he conveys a rainbow of emotions in a way that only he could sing at that time. This is an extremely poetic song that is very conservative in the use of the words because majority of the meaning is in the emotion. Consequently, in this translation, I had to fill the gaps, which are words in brackets, in order for the whole line to make sense in English. The key to understanding this song is in the phrase chali aayi, which approximates to, came, or came with me, depending upon the context, and in this song, it is used in many different ways. This is a very sad song that will make you cry, so kindly have your handkerchiefs ready.

Zuban is an interesting word that is widely used in the East. For example in Urdu, maadari zabaan means mother tongue, and therefore it can approximate to language as well. When I was a young lad, I did not have the words or the language to express the sadness that I felt and this song was useful to me because I could feel every word of it. The lyrics of this song brought words upon my tongue (zuban) allowing me to express my own life story, and it can do so for you too. These words beautifully encapsulate my entire journey in a way I could never express myself. There are many aspect of this song that relate to me and may relate to other people as well. My life was destroyed before it even began, and this song expresses that eloquently by saying that the autumn (khizan) came before spring (bahar). In my life there was misfortune (bad-nasib) too, but it was not created by me. Consequently, I ended up having to make sacrifices and ended up without a companion (humsafar), nor destination (manzil), whilst those that created it ended up with a better life. Sometimes in life you can lose out by doing the right thing, but that is the real test of integrity, because the difficult road is one that nobody likes to walk, and everyone takes the easy route at other people’s expense. These are universal frailties of humanity that everyone on the planet experiences and therefore nobody is ever alone.

In the line, udhas raat hai, viraan, dil ki mahafil hai, conveys greater meaning, that nobody knows his sorrow, by expressing that only the gloomy (udhas) night and solitude (viraan) are his audience to his story. You too may find yourself thinking that nobody understands your sorrow. However, you have to keep moving forward where life takes you because nobody knows what life has in store for you. Remember that sometimes these verses continue to the next line as well, so you need to read the whole set to get the proper meaning.

Meaning and Context

Zuban, tongue, words

Dastan, story

Ranj, grief or sorrow

Khizan approximates to autumn. In autumn, plants wither and die and therefore in the Eastern mindset, it also expresses death.

Bahar approximates to spring. In spring, plants start growing and therefore in the Eastern mindset, it also expresses life.

Nasib, fortune

Bad-nasib, bad fortune, or misfortune

Udas, gloomy, sullen, miserable, depressing

Viran, solitude, lonesome, lonely

Mahfil, audience, gathering

Hamsafar, is a companion who travels with you. In this case, a companion that travels with you in your life’s journey.

Manzil, destination, or direction

Translation

Zuban pe dard bhari dastan chali aayi,

Upon (my) tongue came a story full of sadness,

bahar aane se pahle, khizan chali aayi,

before even spring (life) could come, autumn (death) came,

khushi ki chah me, maine, uthaye ranj bade,

in the hope of (a little) happiness, I awoke immense sorrow,

mera nasib pe mere, qadam jahan bhi pade,

wherever my steps fell onto my fortune,

ye bad-nasib meri bhi vahan chali aayi.

this misfortune of mine came there with me too.

Udhas raat hai, viraan, dil ki mahafil hai,

(This) gloomy night, (and) solitude, are (now the only) audience of this heart,

na hamsafar hai koi aur na koi manzil hai.

there is no (other) companion, and neither is there a destination.

ye zindagi, mujhe lekar, kahan chali aayi?

this life, that has brought me here, where did it come from?