The translation of Afreen below is for someone who has basic understanding of Hindi.
This song/ quwalli has been written by lyricist Javed Akhtar and its
original rendition is by Nusrat Saab.
In it, the person who is singing these lyrics is trying to describe
his lover in utmost detail and yet, the person says that even though he tries
to, he, nor anyone else would be able to describe her completely and that they
would end up praising the Almighty for making her.
The parts highlighted in yellow consist of the Urdu word/
phrase and its translation.
Husn-e-jaanaa
ki taareef mumkin nahi (It's not even possible to praise
the beauty of my beloved)
aafreen aafreen, afreen afreen( praise the maker)
tu bhi
dekhe agar to kahe hamnasheen( you would also say the same as me)
afreen afreen, aafreen aafreen
aisa dekha nahi khoobsoorat koi
jism jaise Ajanta ki moorat koi
jism jaise nigaahon pe jaadoo koi
jism naghma( part of a song) koi, jism khushboo koi
jism
jaise machalti hui raagini ( the body like a titillating song)
jism
jaise mehakti hui chaandni ( the fragrance of moonlight)
jism
jaise ke khiltaa hua ek chaman ( a blossoming garden)
jism jaise sooraj ki pehli kiran
jism
tarshaa hua dilkash-o-dil-nasheeN ( her body like a heart arresting carved
statue)
sandali sandalee..
( like the fragment of sandal)
marmari marmaree..(
like the smoothness of the white marble)
chehra ek phool ki tarah shaadaab( fresh) hai
chehra uskaa hai ya koi mahtaab( the face of the moon) hai
chehra
jaise ghazal (her face like a ghazal), chehraa jaan-e-ghazal( her face like the
life of a ghazal)
chehra jaise kali, chehraa jaise kamal
chehra
jaise tasavvur ki tasveer bhi ( her face like the imagination of a picture)
chehra
ek khwaab bhi chehraa taabeer bhi( her face like a dream, and its interpretations)
chehra
koi alif laila ki daastaaN( her face like a tale from a folklore)
chehra ek
pal yakeen, chehraa ek pal gumaaN ( a face, a reality for a moment and then
utopia another)
chehra jaise ke chehraa koi bhi nahi,
Maah-roo
maah-roo( a face with the beauty of the soul of the moon)
MahjabeeN
mahjabeeN ( a face with the forehead as serene as that of the moon)
aankhein dekhi to mein dekhtha reh gaya
Jaam do
aur donon hi do aatishaaN (They are two cups of wine, both
of them ablaze)
aankhein
ya maikade ki yeh do baab haiN (Are these eyes, or the two
doors to a winehouse)
aankhein inko kahoon ya kahoon khwaab haiN
aankhein
neechi huyiN to haya ban gayiN (When those eyes looked down, they became
shyness itself)
aankhein oonchi huyiN to dua ban gayiN
aankhein uTh kar jhukeeN to adaa ban gayiN
aankhein jhuk kar uTheeN to sazaa ban gayiN
aankhein jin mein hai qaid aasman-aur-zameen
Nargisi nargisi
( eyes like a nargasi flower)
Surmayi surmayi...
( black like the blackness of kohl)
zulf-e-jaana
ki bhi lambi hai dastan ( No words are enough to describe the tresses of my
beloved as well)
zulf ki mere dil par hain parchhaaiyaan
zulf
jaise ke uljhi hui ho ghaTa (Tresses, like dark clouds entangled in themselves)
zulf
jaise ke ho koi kaalee balaa (Tresses, like some black spectre)
zulf uljhe to duniyaa pareshaan ho
zulf suljhe to ye geet aasaan ho
zulf
bikhre siyaah raat chhaane lage (When tresses spread, the black night starts
looming over,)
zulf lehraaye to raat gaane lage
zulf
zanjeer hai phir bhi kitni haseen (her tresses bind me up like in chains, and
they are so beautiful)
reshamee reshamee
(like silk)
ambaree ambaree...
(like the sky with the rains)
