Chand Se Parda Kijiye Lyrics English Translation Better Fix Review
Unmasking the Moon: A Deep Dive into "Chand Se Parda Kijiye" Lyrics and the Quest for a Better English Translation
Unveiling the Moon: Chand Se Parda Kijiye Lyrics & English Translation
There are songs that you listen to, and then there are songs that you feel. "Chand Se Parda Kijiye," originally sung by the legendary Pankaj Udhas and later immortalized in the 1993 film Police Aur Mujrim by Kumar Sanu, falls firmly into the latter category.
It is a masterpiece of poetic persuasion. But to truly appreciate the beauty of this ghazal, one must look beyond the melody and understand the profound metaphors in the lyrics.
In this post, we present the Chand Se Parda Kijiye lyrics with an English translation that captures the true essence of the poetry.
Part 6: Line-by-Line Justification – Why This is Better
Let’s compare the standard translation (ST) with the better translation (BT) line by line.
Line 1:
- ST: "Cover the moon with a veil, or else I will cover myself."
- BT: "Draw a veil across the moon, or I swear, I’ll leave this place."
- Why better: "Draw a veil" is more poetic than "cover." "I will cover myself" is ambiguous (with a blanket? a cloth?). "I’ll leave this place" captures the romantic ultimatum: He will remove himself from her presence, which is a bigger threat in a love song.
Line 2:
- ST: "I swear on our love, please don't steal glances."
- BT: "Don’t you dare avert your eyes – I swear upon your face."
- Why better: The original "nazare na churaiye" literally means "don't steal glances" (i.e., don't look away coyly). BT flips it to the positive command: "Don't avert your eyes" – which is more direct and passionate. "I swear upon your face" is a Hindi-ism that sounds beautiful in English as a lovers' oath.
Female lines:
- ST: "Let it be, don't tease me... I'm feeling shy, what should I do?"
- BT: "A blush is rising – what can I do? Hold on... just hold on, won’t you?"
- Why better: The BT adds the specific image of a "blush" (sharm), which is more vivid than "feeling shy." The repetition of "hold on" mimics Alka Yagnik’s breathless delivery.
The climactic line:
- ST: "The moonlight is agonizing... Either make the moon hazy, or let this night not end."
- BT: "Either smudge the moon’s bright crest / Or let this night sink into a sweet, endless rest."
- Why better: "Smudge the crest" is a creative visual for "dhundhla" (hazy). "Let this night not end" is a common phrase. "Sink into a sweet, endless rest" uses doobey (sink) correctly and adds a euphoric, romantic closure.
Stanza 3
Literal: What if I cannot live forgetting you? There is no one like you; so what if I can't? chand se parda kijiye lyrics english translation better
Better Translation:
And if I cannot breathe a single day without your name, What then? There is no rival to your beauty, no one the same. And if I cannot live forgetting—tell me, what is the shame?
Song Title: Chand Se Parda Kijiye
The Context: Why “Better” Translation Matters
Before diving into the lyrics, let’s understand the song. The phrase "Chand se parda kijiye" translates literally to "Put a curtain over the moon." But why?
The beloved tells the moon to hide its face because the beauty of their lover is so radiant that even the moon feels shy. Alternatively, in the mystical (Sufi) interpretation, the "moon" is the divine beauty, and the poet cannot bear the separation. Unmasking the Moon: A Deep Dive into "Chand
A bad translation would say: "Cover the moon, because my beloved is walking." A better translation says: "Draw the veil across the moon, for my love steps into view."
The difference? Imagery, grace, and emotional resonance.
Verse 1
Hindi: Chand se parda kijiye Sitaron se sharma ke aayiye
English Translation: Veil yourself from the moon, And come to me, feeling shy even of the stars. ST: "Cover the moon with a veil, or
(Meaning: The poet suggests that her beauty rivals the moon. He playfully asks her to hide her face from the moon so the moon doesn't feel inferior, or perhaps because she is so radiant that she needs privacy even from the celestial bodies.)
The “Better” English Translation (Contextual & Poetic)
This is the section you are searching for. Below is a literal translation versus a better interpretive translation that an English speaker would feel.