Contemporary · Lucknow
Noor Jahan Sahar is a fictional contemporary poet created for the Meeras archive — her verse is original seed content dedicated to the public domain, not the work of a historical figure. She is imagined as a poet of the modern city: of dawn over crowded rooftops, of memory, migration and the quiet endurance of women. Her work lets the archive show a living, contemporary voice without using any in-copyright poetry.
har raat ke aakhir mein chhupi ek sahar hoti hai
thaki aankhon mein bhi koi nayi dopahar hoti hai
main apna shahr chhoR aayi par shahr na chhoR saka mujhe
har khwab mein vahi gali vahi ghar vahi dar hota hai
vo aurat jo chup rehti hai use kamzor na samjho
uski khamoshi mein chhupa ek samandar hota hai
chhaton pe utarti hai jab pehli kiran sahar ki
to shahr ki har khiRki mein ek chiraagh sa jalta hai
yaadon ke puraane sandooqon mein ek khushboo rehti hai
jise kholo to bachpan ka pura mausam milta hai
tere jaane ke baad bhi tu mere saath raha
har shaam chaai ki pyaali mein tera aks utra
dil ek aisa makaan hai jise band nahin kar sakte
yahaan har aane jaane waale ka saamaan reh jaata hai
meri aankhon ne bahut raaten jagi hain tere liye
ab neend bhi aaye to tera hi chehra le aati hai