Nasir Kazmi (1925-1972) is one of the pioneers of modern Urdu ghazal. His
lyricism, sensitivity and political awareness make him both a romantic and a
rebel of sorts. His melancholic, brooding tone bears testimony not only to the
changing contours of human attitude, but also to the riotous times he lived in,
like the Partition. His imagery of loss, nostalgia and fleeting love has stirred an
emotional chord in a million hearts. Nearly half of this anthology has been set to
music and there is hardly an eminent singer of the subcontinent who has not
lent their voice to his ghazals. Nasir was a night bird; he would stalk the streets
of Lahore till late midnight. That is why the title.
It is me in the night one o'clock
Listening to the lonely road talk