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1 / 25 : Featured

dil ko sambhaalehansta bolta rahta hun lekin

sach puucho to 'zeb'

tabeeyat Theek naheen hoti

to pacify the heart

i try and speak smilingly, but

to tell the truth, ‘zeb’,

`don’t feel any better within

Zeb Ghauri (3)

2005: Sitara-i-Imtiaz

dil (m) (118)

heart

sambhaale (m) (1)

recover, comfort

hansta (2)

smiling, laughing

sach (m) (8)

truth

tabeeyat (f) (2)

disposition, condition

Theek (2)

right, fine

Theme: Heart, Mind, & Memory (67)

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2 / 25 : Featured

raat ke pichle pehar

roz jagati hai hamen

your memory, sometimes as a knock

and sometimes as a whisper

wakes me up

in the wee hour, every night

1987: Sahitya Akademi

2008: Jnanpith

yaad (m) (39)

memory, remember

kabhi (29)

on occasion

dastak (m) (2)

knock (on the door)

sargoshi (f) (1)

whisper

raat (f) (14)

night

pichle (m) (1)

last

roz (m) (14)

day, every day

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3 / 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

1999: Sahitya Akademi

1999: Padma Shri

unexpected hour

chaunk (m) (1)

surprised, shocked, startle

lifelong

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4 / 25 : Featured

ke naadaani hai

behtar aagahi se

i have learnt

this much from life

that ignorance is

better than awareness

Anonymous

zindagi (f) (45)

life

behtar (6)

better

aagahi (f) (4)

awareness

seekha (4)

learned

naadaani (f) (2)

innocence, naivete

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5 / 25 : Featured

naye din ka naya suraj

ufuuq par uTha aata hai

the shivering shadows of

the old year are fading away

the new sun of the new day

is rising over the horizon

1997: Jnanpith Award

1967: Padma Shri

ThiThuri (f) (1)

shivering

parchhaiyan (f) (1)

shadows

simTin (m) (1)

fold

suraj (m) (1)

sun

ufuuq (m) (1)

horizon

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6 / 25 : Featured

tum apne aap ko khud hi

badal sako to chalo

enduring the harsh sun of the journey

those who can keep going, keep going

if along the way, you can figure out

how to reinvent yourself, keep going

2013: Padma Shri

1998: Sahitya Akademi

safar (m) (28)

journey, travel

badal (m) (5)

change

dhoop (f) (10)

heat from sun

chal (6)

moving, walking

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7 / 25 : Featured

beqaraari tujhe ai dil

kabhi aisi to na thi

who has snatched away

your peace and calm

oh restless heart,

you were never like this

cheen (m) (1)

snatch, pull

sabr (m) (4)

patience, endurance

qaraar (m) (6)

peace, calm, tranquil

beqaraari (f) (3)

restlessness

dil (m) (118)

heart

kabhi (29)

on occasion

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3

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8 / 25 : Featured

aakhir-e-kaar vo

ek khwaab-e-pareshaan nikla

that which i thought was

the pleasure house of the world

at the end, turned out to be

a troubled dream

dahr (m) (1)

world, universe, era

aakhir (5)

alas, afterall

kaar (m) (2)

thing, work

khwaab (m) (18)

dream

pareshaan (m) (6)

distressed, troubled

nikla (12)

turned out, came out

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9 / 25 : Featured

kuchh woh bhi ikhtisaar se

aage na jaa saka

i too was not generous

in my conversing

he too couldn't

get past his reticence

Farhat Zahid (2)
kalaam (m) (1)

conversation, talk

faraakh-dil (m) (1)

open-hearted, generous

ikhtisaar (m) (1)

conciseness, brevity

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10 / 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?

khataaen (m) (2)

mistakes, crimes

sazaaen (m) (1)

punishments

ajab (12)

strange, wonderful

insaaf (m) (2)

justice

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11 / 25 : Featured

hota hai shauq, ghalib

us ki naheen naheen par

where is the refusal's fun

in ready acceptance

so much charm there is, ghalib,

in her repeated rejections

iqraar (m) (1)

acceptance, confession

inkaar (m) (6)

rejection, refusal

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12 / 25 : Featured

itni galiyan

kyun aati hain

before i reach

my home

why are there

so many lanes and turns

galiyan (f) (1)

streets

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13 / 25 : Featured

kahin zameen

kahin aasmaan nahi milta

nobody ever

gets the entire world

sometimes the earth

sometimes the sky…you don’t get

2013: Padma Shri

1998: Sahitya Akademi

aasmaan (m) (17)

sky

jahaan (m) (17)

world, universe

complete, full, entire

zameen (m) (14)

ground, earth, land

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14 / 25 : Featured

jo dosti yahi Thahri

to dushmani kya hai?

under the guise of loyalty

so much cruelty inflicted upon us

if this is friendship

what then is enmity?

wafaa (m) (6)

faithfulness

aad (m) (1)

cover, guise

jafaa (m) (4)

injustice, cruelty

dosti (f) (5)

friendship

dushmani (f) (2)

enmity

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15 / 25 : Featured

honTon pe latife hain

awaaz mein chaale hain

in this city,

the style of living is so strange

wit and smile on the lips

but sharp edges in the voice

2007: Padma Bhushan

2013: Sahitya Akademi Award

shahar (m) (2)

city

andaaz (m) (10)

mannerism, style

niraale (m) (2)

unique, strange, quaint

honTon (m) (3)

lips

awaaz (m) (2)

voice

chaale (m) (2)

blisters, sores

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16 / 25 : Featured

saara ghar le gaya

ghar chhoD ke jaane wala

i bid him/her farewell

but i didn't know

the one who left the house

took the whole home with him/her

2013: Padma Shri

1998: Sahitya Akademi

rukhsat (f) (3)

departure (esp. of bride)

maloom (4)

to know

chhoD (10)

leave

2

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2

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17 / 25 : Featured

abhi chaar kaanTe chhube nahin

tere sab iraade badal gaye?

how come this stalling in the path?

what happened to your will and zeal?

not even four thorns have pricked you

and all your intentions have changed?

Anonymous

qayaam (m) (1)

standing, stalling

zauq (m) (6)

pleasure, delight, joy

shauq (m) (14)

passion, zeal

kaante (m) (1)

thorns

chhube (m) (1)

prick, sting

iraade (m) (2)

desires, aspirations

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3

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18 / 25 : Featured

peeta hoon

roz-e-abr-o-shab-e-mahtaab mein

ghalib has given up drinking

but, still, once in a while

i enjoy a drink

on cloudy days and moon-filled nights

chhuti (f) (1)

givenup

sharaab (m) (14)

wine, liquor, drink

roz (m) (14)

day, every day

abr (m) (6)

cloud, clouds

shab (f) (17)

evening, night

mahtaab (m) (5)

moon

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5

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19 / 25 : Featured

aankhen zubaan naheen hain

magar bezubaan naheen

the secret of love

is revealed through them

eyes are not tongues

but not voiceless either

raaz (m) (3)

secret

faash (f) (1)

reveal, expose

aankhen (m) (7)

eyes

zubaan (m) (8)

speech, tongue

magar (29)

yet, but

bezubaan (m) (1)

voiceless, speechless

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20 / 25 : Featured

tu ne dil ki

woh naukri kya ki

‘jaun’ having slaved

for the work of the world

what have you done for

what is dear to your heart

duniya (m) (27)

world

chaakari (f) (1)

work, often mundane

dil (m) (118)

heart

naukri (f) (2)

job, work

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2

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21 / 25 : Featured

gulaab apni hi khushbu se

darne lagte hain

tormenting often are

the times of youth

the rose starts to fear

its own fragrance

aksar (7)

often

shabaab (m) (6)

youth

khushbu (f) (11)

fragrance

azaab (m) (1)

torment, punishment

ghadiyan (f) (1)

times, hours

gulaab (m) (5)

rose

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22 / 25 : Featured

beqaraari tujhe, ai dil

kabhi aisi to na thi

who has taken away your

patience and peace today?

o heart, you were never

this restless before

pulled away

sabr (m) (4)

patience, endurance

beqaraari (f) (3)

restlessness

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23 / 25 : Featured

mujhe lagta hai bahut

apne se dar shaam ke baad

this is the time to meet

the time for separation too

i feel quite afraid of myself

as the dusk falls

shaam (f) (23)

evening

samay (m) (1)

time

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24 / 25 : Featured

meri turbat se lagi baithi hai

hasrat meri

even after my death

my love did not leave me

my desires stayed shackled

to my grave

baad (13)

breeze / after

rifaaqat (f) (2)

companionship, love

turbat (f) (2)

grave

hasrat (f) (12)

desire, mostly unmet

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25 / 25 : Featured

uTho na pahlu se

Thahro zara...kidhar ko chale

you have just arrived

what’s the hurry to leave

don’t get up just yet from my side

stay a while, where are you headed

pahlu (m) (4)

side

jaldi (1)

haste

thahro (1)

stay

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Ashaar (couplets) on other themes

Friends, Family, & Community (149)

Ashaar (couplets) by others

Dulhan (1)

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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