Moon at Half Past Noon

Translation of Urdu verses is very tough. The expressions may not have an equivalent in English. That said, the process is also very satisfying as one unravels deeper layers of meaning.

This is a great example of how the supreme being is personified as a beloved. Nature is used to evoke a deep sense of devotion.

(dasht-e-tanhā.ī meñ ai jān-e-jahāñ larzāñ haiñ
terī āvāz ke saa.e tire hoñToñ ke sarāb)

In the desert of loneliness, oh dear beloved
Quivers, an echo of your sweet voice
Appears, shiver of your lips, as if a mirage
In the desert of loneliness, under the dust
Of sand and fragrant grass of separation
Bloom, jasmines and roses of your visage

With intimate touches, rises somewhere,
the warmth of your breath
In its own aroma, slow and gentle,
it smoulders and brews

Far away, beyond the horizon,
Shines the twilight, drips and drops
Kind and generous, your eye’s dew.

With so much love, oh dear beloved,
Your precious vision caresses my heart
The illusion of your presence looms,
Though the morning of separation stands
Yet, begins to fall,
the veil of this night of longing
That it illumines the dark.