Yeh jo des hai tera (English version)

Here is a tentative translation of a very moving song « yeh jo des hai tera » from this fantastic movie Swades, directed by Ashutosh Gowariker. The lyrics are by the famous Javed Akhtar and the singer is by the famous A. R. Rahman. Do not forget that a translation is more or less a betrayal of the original text and that there can never be a perfect and absolutely faithful translation from one language into another. Whenever possible, I have also given also alternative translation after a slash.

Mounir Nassor

(mounirnassor@yahoo.co.in / www.myindias.blogspot.com)

Yeh jo des hai tera
(lyrics by Javed Akhtar / music director: A. R. Rahman / singer: A. R. Rahman)

Yeh jo des hai tera
This very land that is yours / this very country that is yours

Swades hai tera
It is your very motherland / fatherland

Tujhe hai pukara
And it is calling out to you

Yeh voh bandhan hai
This very bond between this land and you

Jo kabhi toot nahin sakta
How could it ever break up ?

Mitti ki hai jo khushboo
The fragrance of this very land

Tu kaise bhulega
How could you ever forget it ?

Tu chahe kahin jae
Wherever you would wish to go

Tu laut ke aaega
No matter what happens, you will come back to this very land

Nayi nayi raahon men
In each and every paths

Dabe dabe aahon mein
In each and every suppressed sighs

Khoe khoe dil se tere
To you strayed heart

Koi yeh kahega
Someone / something will remind you of this

Yeh jo des hai tera
That this land that is yours / That this country that is yours

Swades hai tera
It is your very motherland / fatherland

Tujhe hai pukara
Yeh voh bandhan hai
Jo kabhi toot nahin sakta

Tujhe zindagi hai yeh kahe rahi
Your whole life seems telling you

Sabh to paa liya abh hai kya kami
You have achieved everything in it, what else could you expect to get you don’t already have ?

Yiunh to saare sukh hai barse
As if you had been showered by life’s riches and happiness

Par door tu hai apne ghar se
But, you are so far away from home

Aa laut chal tu abh deewane
Do come back now, you old fool

Jahan koi to tujhe apna maane
To this very place where people will consider you as one of them

Awaz de tujhe bulane wahi des
Do answer to this call from this land

Yeh jo des hai tera
This very land that is yours / this country that is yours

Swades hai tera
Which is your very motherland / your very fatherland

Yeh pal hai wahi
This is the right time

Jis mein hai chupi
In which lay hidden

Puri ek sadi, saari zindagi
An entire century, an entire lifetime

Tu na pooch raaste mein ka hai
Do not ask what is awaiting ahead

Ae hain is tarah do raahein
You now have reached a crossroads

Tu hi to hai raah jo sujhae
It behoves to you to choose this very path

Tu hi to hai abh to yeh batae
It is for you to show which path should be taken

Chahe to kis disha men jae
It is for you to show the direction that should be taken by

Voh hi des
This very land / this very country

Yeh jo des hai tera
This very land that is yours / this very country that is yours
Swades hai tera…
Which is your very motherland / which is your fatherland...

(a tentative translation by Mounir Nassor : mounirnassor@yahoo.co.in / www.myindias.blogspot.com)