Hazaaron khwaishein aisi ki har khwaish pe dam nikle Bahut nikle mere armaan lekin phir bhi kam nikle

• Ghalib

A thousand desires so strong, I’d die for each one And days of longing, I’d have to drown in each one

For god’s sake, please don’t lift your hand from my face A tombstone remembers something in hands too, in each one

What is the difference between being alive and being dead? Mirrors will clarify this when the beloved walks into each one

Her distant eyes skim the summer horizon, lighting sans rain In my raspy gasps, I conceal love letters for her, in each one

Many desires were quenched, Sashi, and many remain undone,
But in her shadow, there isn't enough light to count each one

Note: Talking about past loves with someone in the now, someone who grows in his affection, as someone else sings a Ghalib's ghazal in the background, he simultaneously feels the implacable contours of the past, and the fluid possibilities of the now.