Yet another attempt at translating Faiz, and this one at a friend's request! One of my favourite nazms, beautifully rendered by Iqbal Bano in her inimitable voice (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ev8ucJuj3DM)
As always, a disclaimer is due! I've taken my liberties, but I've tried to retain the rhyming scheme and the meter (It's awful difficult in English!). I hope it helps!
Urdu Transliteration:
Yaad (Ik nazm)
Dasht e tanhaai meiN, ai jaan e jahaaN, larzaaN hai,
Teri aawaaz ke saaye, tere hontoN ke saraab,
Dasht e tanhaai meiN, doori ke khas o khaak tale,
Khil rahe haiN tere pehlu meiN saman aur gulaab,
Uth rahi hai kahiN qurbat se teri saans ki aanch,
Apni khushboo meiN sulagti hui, madham, madham,
Door ufuq paar chamakti hui, qatra, qatra,
Gir rahi hai teri dildaar nazar ki shabnam,
Is qadar pyaar se, ai jaan e jahaaN! Rakkha hai,
Dil ke rukhsaar pe is waqt teri yaad ne haath,
YooN gumaaN hota hai garche hai abhi subh e firaaq,
Dhal gaya hijr ka din, aa bhi gayi wasl ki raat..........
English Translation
Memories (Wilderness of Solitude)
In the wilderness of my solitude, quiver and tremble,
A haunting ghost of thy voice, and a mirage of thy lips,
In the wilderness of my solitude, the distance between,
Now parched grasses, at your touch, bloom jasmines and tulips,
The air, enwraps you, and now glows in thy warm, perfumed breath,
Slowly burns in the heady fragrance, gently, gently,
In the far, far horizon, glistens pearly drop by drop,
The dew that falls under thy loving gaze, tenderly,
And full of care, my love! Thy effervescent memory,
Reassuring, a tender hand, on the cold cheek of my heart,
And though, the day of our separation dawns, it feels,
The sun has set, the night is nigh, and we'll never part........
