Duration

7 minutes

 

Commissioned by/Premiere

Written for the Aspen Opera Theater and VocalARTS Program as part of a Composition Fellowship at the Aspen Music Festival.

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Text

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Original, in Urdu

ہزاروں خواہشیں ایسی کہ ہر خواہش پہ دم نکلے 

بہت نکلے مرے ارمان لیکن پھر بھی کم نکلے 

 

نکلنا خلد سے آدم کا سنتے آئے ہیں لیکن 

بہت بے آبرو ہو کر ترے کوچے سے ہم نکلے 

 

محبت میں نہیں ہے فرق جینے اور مرنے کا 

اسی کو دیکھ کر جیتے ہیں جس کافر پہ دم نکلے 

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Transliteration, in IPA

ɦəzaːrõː xʋaːɦɪʃẽː ɛːsiː kɛ ɦər xʋaːɦɪʃ pɛ dəm nɪklɛ

bəɦʊt nɪklɛ mɛrɛ ərmaːn leːkɪn pʰɪr bʱiː kəm nɪklɛ

 

nɪkəlnaː xʊld seː aːdəm kaː sʊntɛ aːɛ ɦɛ̃ː leːkɪn

bəɦʊt beː-aːbəruː ɦoː kər tɛrɛ kuːt͡ʃeː seː ɦəm nɪklɛ

 

moːɦəbːət mẽː nəɦiː ɦɛ fərq dʒiːnɛ ɔːr mərnɛ kaː

ʊsiː koː dɛkʰ kər dʒiːtɛ ɦɛ̃ː dʒɪs kaːfɪr pɛ dəm nɪklɛ

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Translation, in English

I have a thousand wishes, such that each wish I could give my life for

Many of my wishes have come true, but it is still never enough.

 

We all hear the story of how Adam was expelled from the Garden of Eden but,

It was even more shameful the way that I was expelled from your doorstep.

 

When in love, there is no difference between life and death,

For we live by seeing the person for whom we would die for.

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Performances

August 2025 - Julia Ernst, soprano, and Ashly Zhang, piano, Harris Hall, Aspen, CO

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Score