But I think we can all agree that the final version "Chiquitita" is the best English version, isn't it?
Original: Chiquitita (ABBA) [1979], Lyrics: Benny Anderson, Björn Ulvaeus
Happy Independence Day to India and Pakistan!
I want to celebrate this day with a Hindi-Urdu coverversion of "Chiquitita", an ABBA song from 1979. Actually in 1981, they released a whole cassette with ABBA songs in Hindi-Urdu, sung by Salma & Sabina Agha: "Salma & Sabina Sing the Hits of ABBA in Hindi".
"Chiquitita" is called "Abhilasha" and this is the first song I present to you.
Cover: Abhilasha (Salma & Sabina Agha) [1981], Lyrics: Amit Khanna
Quoted from the liner notes of the 1981 release Salma & Sabina Sing the Hits of ABBA in Hindi:
"This cassette contains the Hindi versions of the melodies of the World's number one pop group - ABBA. Their melodies are magic and their reproduction in any other language is a challenge which only the most talented and versatile musicians and singers can accept. This challenge was accepted by a group of people from the Indian Sub-continent and Europe. Amit Khanna, the writer of numerous Indian hits is the author of the Hindi lyrics on this cassette. He has not only managed to totally preserve the feel and atmosphere of ABBA but also given a new "Indo dimension" to the lyrics which are undoubtly the most beautiful songs ever written..." (Source)
Chiquitita ("Little
one”)
|
Abhilasha (Desire)
|
Chiquitita, tell me
what’s wrong?
You’re enchained by
your own sorrow.
In your eyes,
there is no hope for
tomorrow.
How I hate to see
you like this.
There is no way you
can deny it.
I can see
that you’re oh so
sad, so quiet.
|
Abhilasha hai yeh
meri
(This is what I
desire)
Teri hi main ban kay
rahoon
(That I devote
myself to you)
Yeh janam hai kam
sanam
(One life is not
enough, my love)
Har janam teray sang
rahoon
(Every rebirth I
want to be with you)
Jigyaasa hai yeh
meri
(This is my unusual
wish)
Pyaasi ban kay teri
main mitoon
(That I perish in
your thirst)
Har umang tarang ho sang
(Every hope, every
wish, I want with you)
Har rang teray rang
rahoon
(And to colour
myself with your colours)
|
Chiquitita, tell me
the truth.
I’m a shoulder you
can cry on.
Your best friend,
I’m the one you must
rely on.
You were always sure
of yourself.
Now I see you’ve
broken a feather.
I hope
we can patch it up
together.
|
Abhilasha hai yeh
meri
Teri hi main ban kay
rahoon
Yeh janam hai kam
sanam
Har janam teray sang
rahoon
Aik hi aasha hai yeh
meri
(This is all I hope
for)
Teray sanchay main
mein dhaloon
(I mould myself just
like you)
Yeh umar ho yoon
basar
(I want to spend my
lifetime)
Hamsafar har safar
main rahoon
(As your companion
for every journey)
|
Chiquitita, you and
I know,
how the heartaches
come and they go
and the scars they’re
leaving.
You’ll be dancing
once again
and the pain will
end,
you will have no
time for grieving.
|
Preetam yeh waada
raha
(This is my promise,
my love)
Sangam ab sadiyon
kay premiyon
kay prem ka ho ga
yahan
(Here will reunite
lovers of centuries)
Na mittein gay yeh nishan
(These marks will
never perish)
Mit jaey chahay
yeh khayal aur yeh dastan
(Even if these
thoughts, this legend perishes)
|
Chiquitita, you and
I cry,
but the sun is still
in the sky
and shining above
you.
Let me hear you sing
once more
like you did before,
sing a new song,
Chiquitita.
Try once more like
you did before,
sing a new song,
Chiquitita.
|
Preetam yeh waada
raha
(This is my promise,
my love)
Sangam ab sadiyon
kay premiyon
kay prem ka ho ga
yahan
(Here will reunite
lovers of centuries)
Milain gay zameen o
aasman
(The sky, the earth
will meet)
Ruk jaey ga phir
yeh waqt ka karwan
(And the caravane of
time will stop)
Hai yaqeen poora
humko
(I have complete
faith)
Hogi poori Abhilasha
(My desire will be fulfilled)
|
So the walls came
tumbling down
and your love’s a
blown out candle.
All is gone
and it seems too
hard to handle.
Chiquitita, tell me
the truth,
there is no way you
can deny it.
I can see
that you’re oh so
sad, so quiet.
|
Abhilasha hai yeh
meri
Teri hi main ban kay
rahoon
Yeh janam hai kam
sanam
Har janam teray sang
rahoon
Jigyaasa hai yeh
meri
Pyaasi ban kay teri
main mitoon
Har umang tarang ho sang
Har rang teray rang
rahoon
|
Chiquitita, you and
I know,
how the heartaches
come and they go
and the scars they’re
leaving.
You’ll be dancing
once again
and the pain will
end,
you will have no
time for grieving.
|
Preetam yeh waada
raha
Sangam ab sadiyon
kay premiyon
kay prem ka ho ga
yahan
Na mittein gay yeh nishan
Mit jaey chahay
yeh khayal aur yeh dastan
|
Chiquitita, you and
I cry,
but the sun is still
in the sky
and shining above
you.
Let me hear you sing
once more
like you did before,
sing a new song,
Chiquitita.
Try once more like
you did before,
sing a new song,
Chiquitita.
Try once more like
you did before,
sing a new song,
Chiquitita.
|
Preetam yeh waada
raha
Sangam ab sadiyon
kay premiyon
kay prem ka ho ga
yahan
Milain gay zameen o
aasman
Ruk jaey ga phir
yeh waqt ka karwan
Hai yaqeen poora
humko
Hogi poori Abhilasha
Hai yaqeen poora
humko
Hogi poori Abhilasha
|
Looking at the English translation, Amit Khanna chose the words very intelligently. My focus is especially on the word "Abhilasha" what simply means "desire" but if you didn't know the meaning of the word, you would think - at least, I thought so as an European - it is a girl's name. It ends on "-a", like "Chiquitita", which could be a girl's name too but isn't.
Many thanks to Sabine Shah who helped me with the transliteration and the translation of the song.
What do you think of this version of "Chiquitita"? How does it sound to you?
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... to be continued
CO2 + UV laser = C + O2... 3d bioprinting = Immortality = go to stars ((typewrite: interstellar travel constant acceleration))
AntwortenLöschen...interstellar travel constant acceleration (Chiquitita the stars are shining for you over there in the high)… Today there is not any song, crying bitter tears for the Chiquitita from Mexico who never more will return to sing, she was shut up forever of the more inhuman mode by the coward feminicidal "machismo", in reality those cowards assassins are not males, they are homovices who although have the strength of men, they are not men (only the homovices, TV propagation, hate to women, libro homovicio "La últ muj de Austrl", the last Australia´s woman, the homovices want make a world without women for "substitute" to women", damned-homovices-dirty-repugnant-wretched-sterile-ill-vicious-mistaken). Politicians hypocrite politicians continuously doing damn´s concentrations to the coward feminicides perpetrated by the homovices, that "damn" DON´T IS USEFUL FOR NOTHING, as can see, the unique that is useful is the FEAR of Death Penalty, and all other are tales. The "civilized" politicians, guided by the religious Inquisition all credos "leaders" of the horror, they prefer that assassinating three thousand five hundred millions of women before call to Referendum and that being the People who decides applying to the feminicidal, a road-roller starting by the feet, only have that announce it and finished the cowards feminicides committed by the homovices. The horror against women will stop someday. Chiquitita las estrellas brillan por ti allá en lo alto.
AntwortenLöschen