دم بھر جو اُدھر مُنہ پھیرے
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دم بھر جو اُدھر مُنہ پھیرے
If you turn your face away for just a moment
دم بھر جو اُدھر مُنہ پھیرے ، او چندا
مَیں اُن سے پیار کَر لوں گی ،
باتیں ہزار کَر لوں گی
[ full stanza x2 ]
If you turn your face away for just a moment, oh moon,
I will fall in love with him,
I will whisper a thousand words to him
[full stanza x2]
دِل کرتا ہے پیار کے سجدے ، [ x2 ]
اَور مَیں بھی اُن کے ساتھ
چاند کو چندا روز ہی دیکھیں ،
میری پہلی رات [ x2 ]
My heart bows in worship of love, [x2]
and I too, with him,
will gaze at the moon, my beloved, every night,
(as on) my first night... [x2]
بادل میں اب چھپ جا رے ، او چندا
مَیں اُن سے پیار کَر لوں گی ،
باتیں ہزار کَر لوں گی
Hide yourself now in the clouds, oh moon,
I will fall in love with him,
I will whisper a thousand words to him
دم بھر جو اِدھر مُنہ پھیرے ، [ x2 ] او چندا
مَیں اُن سے پیار کَر لوں گا ،
نظریں تو چار کَر لوں گا
If you glance this way just for a moment, [x2] oh moon,
I will fall in love with her,
and make our eyes meet (lit. "make four glances")
مَیں چور ہوُں کام ہے چوری ، [ x2 ]
دُنیا میں ہوُں بدنام
دِل کو چراتا آیا ہوُں مَیں ،
یہی میرا کام [ x2 ]
I'm a thief, stealing is my trade, [x2]
infamous across the world.
I've been stealing hearts,
that's my only craft [x2]
آنا تُو گواہی دینے ، او چندا
مَیں اُن سے پیار کَر لوں گا ،
نظریں تو چار کَر لوں گا
Come bear witness, oh moon!
I will fall in love with her,
and make our eyes meet
دِل کو چرا کے کھو مَت جانا ، [ x2 ]
راہ نَہ جانا بھول
اِن قدموں سے کُچلْ نَہ دینا
میرے دِل کا پُھول [ x2 ]
Don't vanish after stealing my heart, [x2]
don't forget the way,
don't trample underfoot
this flower of my heart [x2]
یہ بات اُنہیں سمجھا دے ، او چندا
مَیں اُن سے پیار کَر لوں گی ،
باتیں ہزار کَر لوں گی
Explain this to him, oh moon,
I will fall in love with him,
I will whisper a thousand words to him
About this song
- Singers
- Lata Mangeshkar, Mukesh
- Lyrics
- Shailendra
- Music
- Shankar–Jaikishan
- On screen
- Nargis, Raj Kapoor
dam bhar jo udhar munh phere (Hindi: दम भर जो उधर मुँह फेरे, Urdu: دم بھر جو اُدھر مُنہ پھیرے) "If You Turn Your Face Away Just for a Moment" is a Bollywood romantic ballad from the 1951 film Awara, composed by Shankar–Jaikishan with lyrics by Shailendra.
Sung as a duet by Lata Mangeshkar and Mukesh, it gives voice to the star-crossed lovers Raj (Raj Kapoor), a street thief, and Rita (Nargis), a lawyer and daughter of the judge who prosecutes him.
The song unfolds during a moonlit boat ride, where their fragile love drifts like the unmoored boat, symbolizing societal divides. Raj’s confession "maiN chor huuN" ("I am a thief") carries poetic irony—while he admits to literal theft, his true "crime" is stealing hearts. The lyrics oscillate between asking the moon to turn away (for privacy) and to bear witness to their forbidden love, showcasing Shailendra’s mastery of metaphor.
The melody by Shankar-Jaikishan blends yearning and playfulness, mirroring the lovers’ tension. This scene became iconic, cementing Raj-Nargis’s chemistry and the film’s critique of class injustice.
