Mohabbat Tujhe Alvida Song Lyrics English Translation Site
Sajjad Ali’s soulful, slightly weary voice captures this perfectly—the exhaustion of a warrior who has finally put down his sword, not because he won, but because he is too tired to fight anymore.
Here is the full English translation and lyrical interpretation of the classic Pakistani ghazal (محبت تجھے الوداع) — famously sung by Sajjad Ali and written by the renowned poet Qateel Shifai . mohabbat tujhe alvida song lyrics english translation
The speaker has loved so deeply and been so wounded that he decides to abandon love itself. However, the beauty of Qateel Shifai’s poetry lies in the contradiction: by saying "goodbye" so many times, he proves he is still in love with love. The repetition of "Alvida" (goodbye) becomes a desperate mantra, trying to convince himself of something his heart refuses to accept. Sajjad Ali’s soulful, slightly weary voice captures this
This ghazal is a masterpiece of heartbreak, where the speaker is not just saying goodbye to a person, but to the very emotion of "love" itself, personified as a beautiful but painful entity. Verse 1 (The Final Goodbye) Urdu (Nastaliq): Mohabbat tujhe alvida, mohabbat tujhe alvida Tere dard se aashna tha magar ab nahi, ab nahi English Translation: Love, goodbye to you. Love, goodbye to you. I was familiar with your pain, but not anymore, not anymore. Breakdown: The speaker directly addresses "Love" (Mohabbat) as a person. He acknowledges that he once knew the pain of love intimately—he was its companion. But now, he is severing that connection. The repetition of "ab nahi" (not anymore) signals a definitive, exhausted end. Verse 2 (The Burning of Memories) Urdu: Mere paas aansu, duaayein nahi Mere haath mein ab wafaayein nahi Jo jalte diye thhe bhuja diye Jo tasveer thi woh mita di maine English Translation: I have no tears left, no prayers left. I have no more loyalties left in my hands. Whatever lamps were burning, I have extinguished them. Whatever picture there was, I have erased it. Breakdown: This is the verse of emotional bankruptcy. He hasn’t just run out of tears; he has also run out of duaayein (prayers/blessings) and wafaayein (faithfulness). He actively destroyed the symbols of love—the burning lamps (hope) and the picture (memory). This isn't passive grief; it's a deliberate act of erasure. Verse 3 (The Unanswered Complaint) Urdu: Mujhe ye bata de kaun hai woh Jise tujhse koi shikayat nahi Main karta raha aur tu marti rahi Tera zikr kyun dil se jaata nahi English Translation: Tell me, who is that person? Who has no complaint against you? I kept loving, and you kept dying. Why won't your mention leave my heart? Breakdown: A moment of bitter contradiction. He asks a rhetorical question: is there anyone in the world who hasn't been hurt by love? Then, a haunting paradox: "Main karta raha aur tu marti rahi" (I kept loving, and you kept dying). This implies that his love was so intense or ill-fated that it consumed the very essence of love itself. Yet, despite all this, he cannot forget "her" (or the concept of love). Verse 4 (The Final Address) Urdu: Tujhe chor kar main kahaan jaaunga Mere saath tu hai to kya paaunga Jo tu ne diya woh sahi ya ghalat Tera har sitam to bhula di maine English Translation: Where will I go after leaving you? If you are with me, what will I even gain? Whether what you gave was right or wrong, I have forgiven every one of your tyrannies. Breakdown: The ultimate confusion of a broken heart. He realizes that without "love" (even painful love), he is directionless. He questions the point of having love as a companion if it only brings suffering. But then, he does something remarkable: he doesn't hold a grudge. He has forgotten (meaning forgiven/erased) every cruelty ( sitam ) that love inflicted on him. Chorus (Refrain) Urdu: Mohabbat tujhe alvida, mohabbat tujhe alvida Tere dard se aashna tha magar ab nahi, ab nahi English Translation: Love, goodbye to you. Love, goodbye to you. I was familiar with your pain, but not anymore, not anymore. The Deeper Meaning This song is not a breakup song with a person. It is a divorce from an emotion . However, the beauty of Qateel Shifai’s poetry lies
“There are still so many places for Bourdain to visit in Vietnam, so many more dishes for him to try, so many more episodes for him to make.”
That is the same thought and reason why I haven’t gone back to any episode or short clips of him, which appear in my YT feeds every now and then.
Hi Giang,
Yes, I know what you mean, and I know many other Bourdain fans who feel the same.
Best,
Tom
I sometimes wonder why people often acknowledge people’s death day (religious reasons aside)? Generally speaking that’s the worst day of a persons life and the saddest day for their loved ones and admirers.
With that in mind Anthony’s birthday is coming up on June 25 (1956), the day this intrepid traveller and lover of people was born!
Hi S Holmes,
Yes, it’s because in Vietnam ‘death days’ are commonly celebrated. Hence, I’ve chosen to remember Bourdain on his ‘death day’ in the context of his love of Vietnam.
Best,
Tom
Many Americans of a certain age only saw Vietnam in context with the American War. That view persisted in American culture and continued into the next generation. Bourdain was the first to see Vietnam as a unique country. I don’t think he ever mentioned the war in his programs.
Hi Paul,
Yes, I know what you mean, and in many ways (most ways, in fact), I agree that Bourdain painted Vietnam in a different context to what many Americans were most familiar with – that being war. However, he could never let the war go from his Vietnam episodes: Bourdain references the war – either directly or through cultural references, such as movies – in most of his Vietnam shows. This is totally understandable, but I personally looked forward to an episode that left the war out completely, thus focusing only on present-day Vietnam.
Best,
Tom
I’ll have to re-watch some of the episodes. I guess it was just my first impression that Bourdain dealt with Vietnam on its own merits as a young country with an ancient past and complex culture.
Thank you for your close and heartfelt reading of Bourdain’s odysseys to Vietnam.
I have watched the “Hanoi” episode 5 times with deepening appreciation and sentiment; it is my favorite of what I’ve seen of his work.
The episode is an apostrophe to gain — Vietnam’s as it heals from its history and ascends the world stage toward its future — and a eulogy to the Obama and Bourdain era, where sincerity and civility, for a short time, were given a stage.
“Is it going to be all right?”
While Obama and Bourdain were tour guides, we could believe it would.
Hi Jeff,
Yes, I agree, it’s a very poignant episode – it was at the time, but even more so now, with the knowledge of what was about to happen: to Bourdain, to American politics, to the World.
Best,
Tom
This is amazing Tom, just found ur blog after following you quite sometime in twitter. Anthony is one of my idol esp for Vietnam. Keep up the good work as always and thanks.
Thank you for the kind words!
Great to hear you admire Bourdain too. I hope you enjoy watching/re-watching these episodes.
Best,
Tom
Thank you for a great article as always!
It made me miss my hometown even more.
Thank you, Bao Tran 🙂
Thanks, Tom, for a moving and informative article that has me regretting that I didn’t enjoy Bourdain’s work when he was with us. He was a one-off for sure and we are all poorer for his absence.
Thanks, John.
This is wonderful, Tom.
A great tribute to Bourdain and Vietnamese food.
I never saw his programmes but have read some of his books which i greatly enjoyed.
Thanks
Vicki
Thanks, Vicki.
Yes, I enjoy his writing style too. I hope you get a chance to watch some of his TV shows sometime too.
Tom
If you have a Google account with a US credit card you can buy episodes of No Reservations and Parts Unknown a la carte for $2 or $3 (SD or HD respectively) on Google Play. Here’s a link:
No Reservations:
https://play.google.com/store/tv/show/Anthony_Bourdain_No_Reservations?id=cI-ABS8T6RA&hl=en_US&gl=US
Parts Unknown:
https://play.google.com/store/tv/show/Anthony_Bourdain_Parts_Unknown?id=qZqWbgwkJcc&hl=en_US&gl=US
Thanks, Ben.
Man, great review.
I didn’t know Tony because I’m Spanish and I was not interested about him. I think I first know about him when I came to Vietnam.
I have the feeling that Vietnam is changing very fast, but mostly I don’t see it as an inconvenient but something good. We will see how things evolve in the future.
I agree with Obama, eventually everything will be fine. The virus will be over and we will continue eating food with family and friends, and be able to travel!
I miss Spain and Thailand!
Thanks, Javier.
Yes, I hope so too.
Best,
Tom