Kuchh ishq kiyaa, kuchh kaam kiyaa
by
Faiz Ahmed Faiz
Woh log bahut khushkismat the
Jo ishq ko kaam samajhte the
Ya kaam se aashiqui karte the
Hum jeete jee masroof rahe
Kuchh ishq kiyaa, kuchh kaam kiyaa
Kaam ishq ke aade aataa hai
Aur ishq se kaam ulajhtaa hai
Phir aakhir tang aakar hamne
Dono ko adhooraa chhod diyaa
Loved a little, worked a little
translated by
Mustansir Dalvi
Those who deemed their love to be work
or those who were in love with their work
were the one’s truly fortunate.
In all my life, I never found the time,
so I loved a little, and worked a little.
And yet, work came in the way of love,
while love complicated my working ways
so, in utter frustration, in the end
I left them both alone, half undone.
Translation and Transliteration © Mustansir Dalvi, 2013, All rights reserved.