An interesting case of a popular Kashmiri love song. Harmukh Bar Tal, popular as a Bhajan among Pandit and the same song is popular as a love song among Kashmiri Muslims. Of course, as is often the case in Kashmir, it is so popular that no one remembers the original writer and the meaning of the lines is not give and assumed to be understood. I hope people realize something even as simple as giving translations along with the original lines along with a Youtube video  goes a long way in keeping a language alive. The are people doing it for Urdu and even Hindi online. But, Kashmiris would just sit and talk about ‘dying culture’.
Anyway, back to the song. There are a couple of versions of the song available (all with same tune).
First version is a Pandit one by Rajinder Kachroo. Second version is by Shameema Dev and third one is a more recent production (singer not give!) presented as a Hafiz Nagma. Based on who is singing, some words change.
Praraey become
Zaagaey, both meaning wait.
Yee become
Tee both meaning that.
Posh (Flower),
Golab (Rose),
Shaeyri (Lavender) move around interchanging-ly. Two (completing) extra line coming in from Shameema Dev’s version. Personally, based on what I hear, I findÂ
Zaagaey,
Tee, replacement of Posh with Shaeri (which in turn gets to compete with Golab) etc. really interesting.
Based on all the three versions, here’s what I could make of the love song. A transliteration (done in an hour, someone with more knowledge of the language could have done it in five):
Harmukh bar tal praraey (zaagaey) Madano
I will wait at the gates of Harmukh, for you my love
Yee Dapham tee (yee) laagyoo
What ever you ask, I will offer
Posh (shaeyri) daphamÂ
Ask for flower (Lavander)
Golab (shaeyri) laagaey Madano
I will offer Rose (Lavander), my love
Yee Dapham tee laagyoo
What ever you ask, I will offer
Phambas ti Naaras mil goom
My Yarn and Spindle, all entangledÂ
Cotton and Fire are now one
Valla tche path dil goom
Oh, God!, My heart is stuck on you
Be’no ye dooryer tchalay Madano
I can’t take this distance anymore
What ever you ask, I will offer
Kabeel’e Drayas Pranaey
I left my old tribe, my people
Kya osum Deklanay
What was the push?
Be’no ye dooryer tchalay Madano*
I can’t take this distance anymore
Harmukh bar tal praraey Madano
I will wait at the gates of Harmukh, for you my love
Yee Dapham tee laagyoo
What ever you ask, I will offer
Kongas karmay chamayee
In am tilling in saffron fields
Maenz ho lagith naman
Henna still fresh on my nails
Mushtakh goham kaman Madano
Yearning, for whom, my love
What ever you ask, I will offer
Yaawan myaanay Thazro
My youth is at its zenith
T’chekor dejyo Nazro
Where are your eyes lost?
Kaaei we’tce hung Zazoor Madano**
It is wracked, blotched and decaying, my love
Yee Dapham tee laagyoo
What ever you ask, I will offer
The imagery that the song creates in a Pandit mind is that of Parvati at the foot of Harmukh singing out a love song to Shiva who is still mourning for Sati.
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** Found the meaning of ‘hung‘ in that beautiful line thanks to work of George Abraham Grierson Sahib.
* In Rasul Mir’s ‘Bal Marayo’ we find an identical line that goes like this: Butino Ye Doorer Choon Zaray, Bal Marayo
http://youtu.be/jYIYMxSgky0
Anshoo Tickoo's soulful rendition of the same.
Enter your reply…what are these words t'chekor,kaaei,wetce and hung
Beautifully done, Vinayak. There's another version of the song , sung by Anshoo Tickoo Zutshi. I'd reccommend that too. It has no background score but the melliflous voice transcends this world magically.
Minakshi
Awesome, lovely and mind-blowing. I feel joyful being part of such fraternity of Kashmiri's.
Amit
Awesome, lovely and mind-blowing. I feel joyful being part of such fraternity of Kashmiri's.
Amit
loved it 🙂
Well not all just sit and talk , check the Kashmiri Dictionary : https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.bhairav.kashmiridictionary
Use it to find meanings and make a youtube video.Thank you!
Nice litte tool. Thanks. Will give it a try next time I am sitting and grappling with a song.
good luck with your nice little song.
Its Wallah……an arabic word used for swearing…wallah means By Allah (By God)..
While searching for the lyrics of the song; I found this.
I admire your effort to keep our culture breathing..
Kudos.
Thank you for sharing lyrics and your efforts vinayak😊 keep going.
Soulful sung by Qaiser Nizami
Wallah means by God not oh god
I heard it first from one Toshkhani in 1972 a professional at Rungmunch Theatre kralakhud. Some words have been changed.The tune is almost same.
Behtreen Jinab.
sincere request to every kashmiri migrant families please comeback to your homeland.
Thanks for sharing lyrics 🌹
Eternal ……beautiful my home land
At our partings of ways neither u nor I cried. . . . . But what is this neither u nor I slept peacefully. …
Are You Serious about this -> ""The imagery that the song creates in a Pandit mind is that of Parvati at the foot of Harmukh singing out a love song to Shiva who is still mourning for Sati.""
It was sung by 'Habba Khatoon' for his beloved 'Yousuf Shah Check', don't spread lies.
Kashmiri pandits do sing it as a Bhajan. I am mentioning how this song speaks to a KP.
And no, this is not a work of Habba Khatoon as it does not appear in any of here documented collection of works. And as for Habba Khatoon and Chak…the persian historians of Chak era make no mention of Habba Khatoon. First mention Habba happens around 200 years after the death of Chak. What we know about Habba is just fables and folklore. To you it may seem like Habba singing for Yousuf.
And on the originals of this song do read notes on Harmukh Bartal
Who is writer of this sentiment ?
What's harmukh? And how is this a bhajan when it sounds more like a romantic poem
May be because of Kashmir Shaivism where Shiva is very personal God.
This poetry is very dear to me. I have lived it, and having lost my own heart, I will continue living by it.
My fav ..
Beautiful ,thanks , I have one doubt that Deklanay meaning is Forture,destiney or luck etc but not Push ,, pls advice
Kindly let me know the meaning of hung…
🙂 Years later, in my hunt for better translations and complete lyrics of this beautiful song, I land up here! Bless you, Vinayak. Your work and efforts continue to guide us back home.