1 / 25 : Featured
dhool chehre pe thi
aur aaina saaf karta raha
all through life, ghalib,
kept making the same mistake
the dust was on my face, but
kept cleaning the mirror
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2 / 25 : Featured
ik umr hui din mein
kabhi ghar nahi dekha
if i go at an unexpected time
everyone will be shocked
it has been a lifetime and
i have not seen my home in daylight
Theme: Home, Country, & Belonging (32)
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3 / 25 : Featured
apne apne
kaanon mein baT jaate hain
just like that
those living in the same home
become isolated
in their own private spaces
Theme: Loneliness, Separation, & Grief (126)
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4 / 25 : Featured
royenge hum hazaar baar
koyi hamen sataaye kyun
it is a heart, not a stone or a brick
why won’t it be filled with pain
we may weep a thousand times
why should others care or bother
Theme: Loneliness, Separation, & Grief (126)
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5 / 25 : Featured
ajab insaaf hai dekho
kahan karna, kahan bharna
the mistakes are of the past
but punishments given now
see what strange justice this is
where to do, where to pay?
Theme: Time, Life & Learning (144)
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6 / 25 : Featured
aansu ki jagah
aankh se hasrat nikal aaye
if there is just one desire of the heart
maybe...it's just this
instead of tears
dreams flow from my eyes
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4.8K
7 / 25 : Featured
sahraa mein ‘qais’
koh mein ‘farhaad’ rah gaya
in the path of love, bedaar,
who ever attains his goal?
majnu remained in the wilderness
and farhad in the mountains
Theme: Loneliness, Separation, & Grief (126)
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8 / 25 : Featured
par itna jaante hain
kal wo jaata tha ke hum nikle
where’s the tavern’s entrance, ghalib,
and where is the preacher
i know only this…yesterday,
when i was coming out, he was going in
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9 / 25 : Featured
haan tera yaqeen, tera yaqeen,
tera yaqeen hai
your faith has confined you
to a deep, dark well
yes, your faith, your faith it is
indeed your faith
Theme: Religion, Reason, & Tradition (79)
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10 / 25 : Featured
agar mazloom kuchh bole to
dahshat-gard kahti hai
when countless cruelties are inflicted
on the oppressed, the world stays silent
but when the oppressed dare to speak out
it calls them terrorists
cruelty, tyranny
oppressed
world
terrorist
Theme: Oppression, Rebellion, & Freedom (72)
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11 / 25 : Featured
bas ho chuki namaaz
musalla uThaayiye
springtime has arrived,
mystics, drink some wine
prayers are over,
roll up the prayer-carpet
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12 / 25 : Featured
yaani is dasht mein zor se
bolna bhi akaarat gaya
i keep hearing just
the echo of my shouts
in this desolation, it is futile
no matter how loud i scream
wilderness, desert
echo
power, control
futile, useless
Theme: Oppression, Rebellion, & Freedom (72)
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13 / 25 : Featured
aye jaan yahi hai
maah-e-shawwal hamara
when you signaled your affection,
it has become eid for me
my love, this is
the joyous month for me
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4.5K
14 / 25 : Featured
kuchh sitaare mire seene
mein samaaye hue hai abhi
some stars are
twinkling in my eyes
some others are
gathered in my heart
Theme: Nature, World & Universe (53)
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15 / 25 : Featured
khaali naheen hota hai
woh paimaana hai mera
i drink that spirit
whose high never wears off
it never empties
that cup of mine
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16 / 25 : Featured
aur kuchh meri miTTi mein
baghaawat bhi bahut thi
something about your weather
did not suit me well
and in my own soil, perhaps
there was too much rebellion
Theme: Oppression, Rebellion, & Freedom (72)
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17 / 25 : Featured
ye kaisa shahr hai zaalim ko
zinda chhoD dete hain?
the weak and the oppressed
are left to shiver and suffer
what kind of city is this
that lets the tyrants flourish?
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18 / 25 : Featured
ham ne khud apni
tamannaaon ko jeene na diya
to whom will i complain, hayat,
about this life of desolation
i myself did not let my
aspirations live and thrive
Theme: Hopes, Aspirations, & Dreams (42)
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19 / 25 : Featured
achhi achhi poshaaken hain
achhi suurat wale hain
i could not get to see her,
otherwise, the streets of the city
are filled with good-looking women
in beautiful clothes
Theme: Beauty, Charm, & Union (117)
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20 / 25 : Featured
har fard hai millat ke
muqaddar ka sitaara
the destiny of the nation
lies in the hands of its people
every person is a pointer
to the fate of the nation
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21 / 25 : Featured
jis se har dil ki choT
aati hai ubhar
what is a sher couplet
with its aah’s and wah’s
but every heart’s hurt
coming out in the open
Theme: Voice, Expression, & Language (84)
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22 / 25 : Featured
pehchaanta naheen hoon abhi
rahbar ko main
i go searching for a short while
with whoever is whizzing past
i am yet to find someone
a guide to show the way
Theme: Friends, Family, & Community (152)
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3.0K
23 / 25 : Featured
wo shakhs aa ke
mere shahr se chala bhi gaya
i kept picking flowers
and i didn’t even know
my beloved visited the city
and left too
Theme: Love, Passion, and Longing (134)
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24 / 25 : Featured
sar itna mat jhukaao ki
dastaar gir pade
what harm is there
in bowing respectfully, but
don’t bend so much
that your hat falls off
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25 / 25 : Featured
bulandiyon pe Teherna
kamaal hota hai
there is nothing great
in reaching the heights
but staying there…
yes, that’s remarkable
Theme: Grit, Resilience, & Courage (63)
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Ashaar (couplets) on other themes
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Alfaaz Ki Mehfil is a curated space for timeless poetry celebrating words, emotions, and the enduring beauty of expression. From classic Urdu couplets to modern reflections, it brings together generations of poetic voices that speak of love, longing, hope, and the human soul.
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