Dasht-E-Tanhai

This is one of Faiz Ahmed Faiz's great works. A desert of solitude, a mirage formed in a lover's heart. Achingly beautiful words.

Dasht-e-tanhaai mein, ai jaan-e-jahaan, larzaan hain

Teri avaaz ke saaye, tere honthon ke saraab

[larzaan=quiver, saraab=mirage]

Dasht-e-tanhaai mein, duri ke khas-o-khaak tale

Khil rahe hain tere pehlu ke saman aur gulaab

[khas-o-khaak=dust and ashes, saman=jasmine]

Uth rahi hai kahin qurbat se teri saans ki aanch

Apni khushbuu mein sulagti hui maddham maddham

[qurbat=closeness, aanch=warmth]

Dur ufaq par chamakati hui qatra qatra

Gir rahi hai teri dildaar nazar ki shabnam

[ufaq=horizon]

Is qadar pyaar se hai jaan-e jahaan rakkhaa hai

Dil ke rukhsaar pe is vaqt teri yaad ne haath

[rukhsaar=cheek]

Yun guman hota hai garche hai abhi subah-e-firaaq

Dhal gaya hijr ka din aa bhi gayi vasl ki raat

[subah-e-firaaq=morning of seperation, hijr=parting, vasl=union]

I was first introduced to this ghazal through Iqbal Bano's rendition of it. A trait of a great ghazal singer is his or her ability to infuse life into the words and bring out the emotion behind the ghazal. Iqbal Bano's voice captures the haunt of the solitude very well. The way her voice dips and rises in each harqat lifts the ghazal to greater heights. You can listen to it here.

I recently came across another version of the same ghazal. This was rendered by Meesha Shafi in Coke Studio Pakistan. This one is a more modern rendition and has psychedelic overtones at the end. Meesha Shafi had a tough precedent to follow and does a decent job at that. You can find it here.