Dasht-e-tanhaee maiN ai jaan-e-jahaaN larzaaN hai
Teri aavaaz kay saaey, teray hontoN kay saraab
Dasht-e-tanhaee maiN dooree kay khas-o-khaak talay
Khil rahay haiN teray pehloo kay saman or gulaab
Uth rahee hai kaheeN qurbat say teri saaNs kee aanch
Apnee khushboo maiN sulagti hooee madham madham
Door ufaq paar chamaktee hooee qatra qatra
Gir rahee hai teri dildaar nazar kee shabnam
Is qadar payaar say ai jaan-e-jahaaN rakha hai
Dil kay rukhsaar pay is waqt teri yaad naiN haath
YooN gumaaN hota hai gerchay hai abhee subh-e-firaaq
Dhal gaya hijr ka din aa bhi gaee wasl ki raat
—
All translations are my rough first drafts compiled here for ease of reference.
Memory
In the wilderness of loneliness, O loved one, tremble
Silhouettes of your voice, mirages of your lips
In the wilderness of loneliness, under the straw and ash of distance
Blosssom jasmines and roses of your nearness
From somewhere nearby, rises the warmth of your breath
Smouldering in its scent leisurly, lingeringly
Faraway, across the horizon, shining drop by drop
Falls the dew of your heartmoving glance
So much with love, O loved one, has your memory placed
Its hand, right now, on the face of my heart
It seems, although it’s still the morning of parting,
The day of separation is over, the night of meeting is here.
Juvenilia 