ye dagh dagh ujala ye shab-gazida sahar
wo intizar tha jis ka ye wo sahar to nahin

ye wo sahar to nahin jis ki aarzu le kar
chale the yar ki mil jaegi kahin na kahin

falak ke dasht mein taron ki aakhiri manzil
kahin to hoga shab-e-sust-mauj ka sahil

kahin to ja ke rukega safina-e-gham dil
jawan lahu ki pur-asrar shah-rahon se

chale jo yar to daman pe kitne hath pade
dayar-e-husn ki be-sabr khwab-gahon se

pukarti rahin bahen badan bulate rahe
bahut aziz thi lekin rukh-e-sahar ki lagan

bahut qarin tha hasinan-e-nur ka daman
subuk subuk thi tamanna dabi dabi thi thakan

freedom’s dawn
suna hai ho bhi chuka hai firaq-e-zulmat-o-nur

suna hai ho bhi chuka hai visal-e-manzil-o-gam
badal chuka hai bahut ahl-e-dard ka dastur

nashat-e-wasl halal o azab-e-hijr haram
jigar ki aag nazar ki umang dil ki jalan

kisi pe chaara-e-hijran ka kuchh asar hi nahin
kahan se aai nigar-e-saba kidhar ko gai

abhi charagh-e-sar-e-rah ko kuchh khabar hi nahin
abhi girani-e-shab mein kami nahin aai

najat-e-dida-o-dil ki ghadi nahin aai
chale-chalo ki wo manzil abhi nahin aai

this dawn that's marked and wounded,
this dawn that night has nibbled on-

it's not the dawn we expected
it's not the dawn we were looking for.

hoping we would find it somewhere,
friends, comrades set out thinking

somewhere in the desert of the sky
the stars would halt

somewhere the night's slow waves
would find a shore

somewhere the ship of our heartaches
come to rest.