NOURANE, Maison de Lumière

A dim room with a glowing arched lattice window and leaf-shaped light on the floor.

Dawn

پرتو سے آفتاب کے ذرے میں جان ہے

In a ray of sun, even a grain of dust comes alive.

Ghalib
The tote
The tote on a stone block beside a lattice window.
A long arched stone corridor with lattice light across the floor.

Afternoon

धीरे-धीरे रे मना, धीरे सब कुछ होय।

माली सींचे सौ घड़ा, ऋतु आए फल होय॥

Slowly, slowly, my heart, everything comes in its time. The gardener may pour a hundred pots of water; the fruit still waits for its season.

Kabir
The saddle bag
The saddle bag resting on two stone blocks.
A hall of mirror-work under a domed ceiling.

Evening

آئینہ کیوں نہ دوں کہ تماشا کہیں جسے

ایسا کہاں سے لاؤں کہ تجھ سا کہیں جسے

Why not give you a mirror, something truly worth seeing? Where else would I find another like you?

Ghalib
The card holder
Two card holders on a stone ledge, with a gold bangle.
A stepwell at sunset.

Dusk

لے سانس بھی آہستہ کہ نازک ہے بہت کام

آفاق کی اس کارگہِ شیشہ گری کا

Breathe softly here; the work is delicate, in this glassmaker’s workshop of the world.

Mir
The charm
A hand holding the charm that hangs from the tote.
A carved window at night with a gold thread through it.

Night

रहिमन धागा प्रेम का, मत तोड़ो चटकाय।

टूटे से फिर ना मिले, मिले गाँठ परि जाय॥

Rahim says: don’t snap the thread of love in haste. Once broken it won’t join again, and if it does, a knot remains.

Rahim