Alexander, Tamberlane, Akbar, Shah Jahan and Alamgir, all became clay.
Login or register (free and only takes a few minutes) to participate in this question.
You will also have access to many other tools and opportunities designed for those who have language-related jobs (or are passionate about them). Participation is free and the site has a strict confidentiality policy.
13:51 Oct 19, 2010
Hindi to English translations [PRO] Art/Literary - Poetry & Literature
Hindi term or phrase:Alexander, Tamberlane, Akbar, Shah Jahan and Alamgir, all became clay.
Following on from a very easy question this morning about film song, now a rather more difficult question about traditional song. This time I have *only* the German author's version to go by, I don't have any original text.
"Listen, if you think you're clever; Alexander, Tamberlane, Akbar, Shah Jahan and Alamgir, all became clay. Kings, subjects and beggars, all became clay. Ask the clay what the minarets are built of, and the walls of the temples! The clay knows prophets and saints, the clay knows Ram and Hanuman."
If you recognise these sentiments, and you think you know the song, I would much appreciate a pointer to the original text and to a more accurate English version.
सिकंदर, तिमुर, अकबर, शाहजहाँ और आलमगीर, सब मिट्टी हो गए
Thanks for the detailed context. In my opinion, the song is referring to the fact that all the greats have ultimately died and been buried (hence turned into clay). I feel the English translation may be slightly modified to 'turned into dust' as that reflects more appropriately the connotation of the Hindi words. I cannot point you to the original song or poem.
The term Alamgir used in the poem suggests that it is an Urdu poem by some lesser known poet. It is not by any of the towering poets--Ghalib, Iqbal, Faiz, Jazbi, Majaz, Sahir. It might be Dag-Delhivi or somebody else that has composed this poem. It might even be some Persian poem.
It will be better to put it in Urdu Kudos as well. And if you don't get any response from Urdu translators as well, then it will be worth-while to place it in Persian as well.
Thanks for the suggestion, but I am specifically looking for a Hindi song. In the book I am translating, the text is sung by a wandering singer in Bihar, so it may possibly be a song from the Urdu tradition, or perhaps even Maithili, though my German author only really has Hindi.
If I were to ask a general open question about the vanitas topos in song, I would get answers from everything from Parsi to French!
This KudoZ section is for asking difficult language term by professional translators. Therefore please post your queries in the 'off topic' section in forum. You can get more answers from other language fields also.
Automatic update in 00:
Answers
45 days confidence:
All are reduced to dust/soil
Explanation: Personally, I disagree with the word "Clay". In hindi, it says Mitti; "Mitti" is soil.
My translation: As all human beings, even great conquerors after death are reduced to mere dust/soil and dust/soil is what is again required to build temple walls & minarets.
S halder Local time: 04:22 Specializes in field Native speaker of: English
The translation workplace 
