Madhushala lyrics by harivansh rai bachchan biography
Lost memories serve the wine, that intoxicates with pain. If you find happiness in suffering, come to my tavern. He who has burnt all scriptures with his inner fire, Has broken temples, mosques and churches with carefree abandon, And has cut the nooses of pandits, mullahs and priests Only he is welcome in my tavern. Alas, he that with eager lips, has not kissed this wine, Alas, he that trembling with joy, has not touched a brimming goblet, He that has not drawn close the coy wine-maiden by her hand, Has wasted this honey-filled tavern of Life.
My beloved wine-maiden seems a priest; her wine as pure as the Ganga's waters. With unbroken pace, she rotates the rosary of wine glasses. Drink more! I am Shiva incarnate and this tavern is my temple. Only once every year, the fires of Holi are lit. Only once is the game played and are garlands of lamps lit. But, O, those who are lost in the world, come and see the tavern any day, The tavern celebrates a Holi, every morning and a Diwali every night.
Whatever the taste on my lips, it tastes like wine. Whatever the vessel in my hands, it feels like a goblet. Every face dissolves into the features of my wine-maiden, And whatever be in front of my eyes, they fill only with visions of the tavern. Ah, Beautiful, your lovely face is like a crystal bowl, Whose precious gem is your beauty, sparkling like sweet, intoxicating wine.
I am the wine-maiden and I am the guest. Where sit we together, there indeed is the tavern. A mere two days she served me but the young maiden is sulking now. She fills my goblet and passes it curtly to me. Her coquetry and charms are lost arts; All the tavern wishes now is to fulfil its obligations. Life is short. How much love can I give and how much can I drink?
They say, "He departs," at the very moment that he is born. While he is being welcomed, I have seen his farewell being prepared. They started closing the shutters of the tavern, as soon as they were raised. O maiden! Which burning heart has been pacified by drinking? Every drinker repeats only one chant, "More! Of how many such hopes is this tavern a tomb?
Yama will come as the wine-maiden and bring his black wine, Drink, and know no more consciousness, O carefree one. This is the ultimate trance, the ultimate wine-maiden and the ultimate goblet. O traveller, drink judiciously, for you will never find the tavern again. Each day, O companion, spills more wine from my life. Each day, O fortunate one, this goblet, my body, is burnt.
Each day, O lovely woman, this wine-maiden, my youth, distances itself from me. Each day, O beauty, this tavern, my Life, is drying up. When from the earthen jar of my body, the wine of life is emptied, When the final wine-maiden comes with her bowl of poison, When my hand forgets the touch of the goblet, and my lips the taste of wine, Whisper in my ears, "the wine, the goblet, the tavern!
Touch not my tongue with the Ganga's waters, but with wine, when I die. When you bear my corpse, pallbearers, remember this! Call not the name of God, but call to the truth that is the tavern. Weep over my corpse, if you can weep tears of wine. Sigh dejectedly for me, if you are intoxicated and carefree. Bear me on your shoulders, if you stumble drunkenly along.
Cremate me on that land, where there once was a tavern. Pour on my ashes, not ghee, but wine. Tie to a vine of grapes, not a waterpot, but a wine-goblet.
Madhushala lyrics by harivansh rai bachchan biography
The other titles in the trilogy were Madhubala. He was also a famous poet of Hindi Kavi Sammelan. He is best known for his early work Madhushala. He is also the father of Bollywood megastar, Amitabh Bachchan. Every face dissolves into the features of my wine-maiden, And whatever be in front of my eyes, they fill only with visions of the tavern.
Ah, Beautiful, your lovely face is like a crystal bowl, Whose precious gem is your beauty, sparkling like sweet, intoxicating wine. I am the wine-maiden and I am the guest. Where sit we together, there indeed is the tavern. A mere two days she served me but the young maiden is sulking now. She fills my goblet and passes it curtly to me.
Her coquetry and charms are lost arts; All the tavern wishes now is to fulfil its obligations. Life is short. How much love can I give and how much can I drink? While he is being welcomed, I have seen his farewell being prepared. They started closing the shutters of the tavern, as soon as they were raised. O maiden! Which burning heart has been pacified by drinking?
Of how many such hopes is this tavern a tomb? Yama will come as the wine-maiden and bring his black wine, Drink, and know no more consciousness, O carefree one. This is the ultimate trance, the ultimate wine-maiden and the ultimate goblet. O traveller, drink judiciously, for you will never find the tavern again. Each day, O companion, spills more wine from my life.
Each day, O fortunate one, this goblet, my body, is burnt. Each day, O lovely woman, this wine-maiden, my youth, distances itself from me. Each day, O beauty, this tavern, my Life, is drying up. Touch not my lips with tulasi, but with the goblet, when I die. When you bear my corpse, pallbearers, remember this! Call not the name of God, but call to the truth that is the tavern.
Weep over my corpse, if you can weep tears of wine. Rendered by the poet at various kavi sammelans, it literally became a craze. The poet's cinema-star son Amitabh Bachchan was not very far off the mark when he said that the kind of stardom he enjoyed today, had come his father's way a long time back. Archived from the original on Retrieved Harivanshrai Bachchan's stardom, unique in Hindi literature, was mostly the gift of Madhushaala.
It is undoubtedly one of the most enduring works of modern Hindi literature. It has been translated into English and regional Indian languages such as Bengali, Marathi and Malayalam. It has been choreographed, and performed on stage. It was also one the first pieces of Hindi poetry that was set to music, with its best-selling cassettes and CDs attracting generations of listeners.
External links [ edit ].