Amrita Pritam’s Best - मैं तैनू फिर मिलांगी

This is one of the finest pieces I ever came across. The imagery is sublime and divine at the same time. Heart wrenching and yet as beautiful a verse as one can come across. There is a recitation available on You Tube as done by Gulzaar Sahib for the same poem. You can find it HERE. The verse and the translation are as under:

मैं तैनू फिर मिलांगी

किथ्थे? किस तरह? पता नहीं

शायद तेरे तखयुल दी छिनाग बन के

तेरे कैनवस ते उतरांगी

या खौरे तेरे कैनवस दे उत्ते

इक रहस्मयी लकीर बन के

खामोश तैनू तक्दी रवांगी

या खौरे सूरज दी लौ बन के

तेरे रंगां विच घुलांगी

या रंगां दियां बाहवां विच बै के

तेरे कैनवस नु वलांगी

पता नहीं किस तरह? कित्थे?

पर तैनू ज़रूर मिलांगी

या खौरे इक चश्मा बनी होवांगी

ते जीवन झरने दा पाणी उडदा

मैं पाणी दियां बून्दा

तेरे पिंडे ते मलांगी

ते इक ठंडक जई बन के

तेरी छाती दे नाल लगांगी

मैं होर कुछ नई जान्दी

पर ऐना जान्दी हाँ

के वक़्त जो वी करेगा

ऐ जनम मेरे नाल टुरेगा

ऐ जिस्म मुक्दा है

ते सब कुछ मूक जांदा है

पर चेतेयाँ दे धागे

कायनातां कणा दे हुँदै

मैं ओहां कणा नु चुनांगी

धागेयाँ नु वलांगी

ते तैनू फिर मिलांगी

 

The translation (as done by Nirupama Dutt)

I will meet you yet again
How and where? I know not.
Perhaps I will become a
figment of your imagination
and maybe, spreading myself
in a mysterious line
on your canvas,
I will keep gazing at you.

Perhaps I will become a ray
of sunshine, to be
embraced by your colours.
I will paint myself on your canvas
I know not how and where –
but I will meet you for sure.

Maybe I will turn into a spring,
and rub the foaming
drops of water on your body,
and rest my coolness on
your burning chest.
I know nothing else
but that this life
will walk along with me.

When the body perishes,
all perishes;
but the threads of memory
are woven with enduring specks
I will pick these particles,
weave the threads,
and I will meet you yet again