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1 / 25 : Featured

kab talak azmat-e-aflaak kegun gaaoge

azmat-e-khaak se inkaar

karoge kab tak

for how long will you sing

praises for heavenly gods

for how long will you deny

human greatness

Maatam Fazl Mohammad (1)
talak (m) (4)

till

azmat (f) (1)

greatness, magnificence

aflaak (m) (2)

heavenly body, skies

gun (m) (1)

praises, songs

gaaoge (1)

sing

khaak (f) (7)

dust, ashes, worthless

inkaar (m) (6)

rejection, refusal

Theme: Religion, Reason, & Tradition (73)

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2 / 25 : Featured

jo chale chhuT ke qafas se

wo giraftaar chale

in such a way the captor

has set them free

they flew out of the cage

but are hostages still

andaaz (m) (10)

mannerism, style

sayyaad (m) (8)

captor, hunter

azaad (1)

free, freedom

qafas (m) (6)

cage, prison

arrest, confine

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3 / 25 : Featured

tum sab se maazrat

ke tabeeyaat udaas hai

worry about livelihood, my heart's lament

and thoughts of my beloved

i beg your forgiveness

but am a bit melacholic today

2007: Padma Bhushan

2013: Sahitya Akademi Award

fikr (m) (5)

concern, fear

maash (f) (1)

livelihood

maatam (m) (1)

mourning

yaar (19)

friend, beloved

maazrat (f) (1)

apologies

tabeeyat (f) (2)

disposition, condition

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4 / 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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5 / 25 : Featured

lekin shaheed ho gaye

biwi ki nauj se

akbar was not subdued by

the army of an emperor

but he was martyred

by the lament of his wife

dabe (1)

vanquished, subdued

sultan (m) (2)

emperor

fauj (1)

army

shaheed (m) (1)

martyr

nauj (m) (1)

lament

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6 / 25 : Featured

yeh zameen chaand se behtar

nazar aati hai hamen

when life brings me to

your gathering

this earth looks to me

more beautiful than the moon

1987: Sahitya Akademi

2008: Jnanpith

zindagi (f) (41)

life

bazm (m) (12)

assembly, gathering

zameen (m) (13)

ground, earth, land

chaand (m) (10)

moon

behtar (5)

better

nazar (f) (35)

perspective, sight

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7 / 25 : Featured

apni bhi ik raae rakhna

kitna mushkil hai

in this crowding of voices

amid all this tumult and furor

to listen to your own voice

how hard it is

bheeD (m) (2)

crowd

shor (m) (2)

noise, clamor

mushkil (m) (8)

difficult, hard

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8 / 25 : Featured

bulbul ab jaan

hatheli pe liye baiThi hai

whether it is the hunter's approach

or dread of autumn

the nightingale waits, afraid,

holding its life in its palms

Mah Laqa Chanda (5)
kabhi (27)

on occasion

sayyaad (m) (8)

captor, hunter

khauf (m) (3)

fear, terror

khizan (m) (1)

autumn

bulbul (m) (8)

nightingale

jaan (m) (17)

life, strength / beloved

hatheli (f) (1)

palm

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9 / 25 : Featured

ab us parinday ki dil se

pinjra nikalna hai

i got a bird

out of a cage

now i have to take the cage

out of the bird’s heart

nikal (9)

come out, emerge

pinjre (m) (1)

cage

parinda (m) (1)

bird

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10 / 25 : Featured

jalwa buton ka dekh ke

niyyat badal gayi

i was ready for prayers, hearing

the mention of heavenly beauties

but upon seeing the bright idols

my intentions changed

ready

namaaz (m) (5)

(muslim) prayers, worship

zikr (m) (8)

mention, remember

hoor (m) (1)

heavenly beauty

jalwa (m) (3)

bright, splendor

buton (m) (2)

idols

niyyat (f) (2)

purpose, intention

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11 / 25 : Featured

jab se chale hain ghar se

musalsal safar mein hain

what am i in quest of?

under whose influence am i?

since the time i left home

i’ve been continuously traveling

talaash (f) (9)

quest, search

asar (m) (7)

effect, impact

musalsal (m) (3)

continuous, always, constant

safar (m) (27)

journey, travel

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12 / 25 : Featured

baiThe rahen

tasavvur-e-jaanan kiye hue

the heart keeps searching

for those days and nights of ease

sitting enmeshed

with the thoughts of my beloved

jee (m) (3)

heart, soul

DhoonDta (m) (2)

search, look for

fursat (f) (5)

leisure, freedom

raat (f) (14)

night

tasavvur (m) (8)

imagination

jaanan (m) (1)

beloved, sweetheart

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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

abru (m) (1)

eyebrows

ishaara (m) (3)

sign, signal, gesture

eid (m) (1)

holy Muslim festival

jaan (m) (17)

life, strength / beloved

maah (m) (2)

moon / month

shawwal (m) (1)

tenth month

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14 / 25 : Featured

tu samajhta hai mujhe

tujh se gila kuchh bhi naheen

i remain silent for this reason:

to not create a scene

but you conclude (mistakenly)

i have no complaints against you

chup (10)

silent, quiet

tamaasha (m) (3)

spectacle, drama, show

gila (m) (9)

fault, complaint

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15 / 25 : Featured

hai wahi meri khushi

jo mere sayyaad ki hai

neither complaint nor grievance

i have against the tyranny

my happiness is exactly

what pleases my captor

gila (m) (9)

fault, complaint

shikaayat (f) (6)

complaint, protest

bedaad (m) (1)

oppression

khushi (f) (8)

happiness

sayyaad (m) (8)

captor, hunter

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16 / 25 : Featured

jin ki khaatir basti chhoDi

naam na lo un pyaaron ka

insha, spend the rest of your life

in peace among strangers

the loved ones for whom you

left your town, think not about them

lifelong

ajnabiyon (f) (1)

strangers

chain (m) (4)

peace

kaaTe (2)

spend

basti (f) (2)

city, town, village

pyaaron (m) (1)

lovedones

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17 / 25 : Featured

bandagi se

khuda nahin milta

through love,

you will find, o priest

through worship,

you won't find god

aashiqi (f) (3)

love

zaahid (m) (8)

priest, pious person

bandagi (f) (3)

worship

khuda (m) (31)

god

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18 / 25 : Featured

main ne phoolon se

zakhm khaaye hain

people walk along,

surviving the thorns

but here i am,

wounded by flowers

Anonymous

kaanTon (m) (2)

thorns

chalte (4)

move, go

phoolon (m) (6)

flowers

zakhm (m) (16)

wound, injury

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19 / 25 : Featured

jahaan talak ye sitam ki

siyaah raat chale

keep putting lamps of heads

on the pillars of the gallows

as long as this dark night

of tyranny continues

1993: Dadasaheb Phalke Award

2013: India Commemorative Stamp

charaagh (m) (16)

lamp, light, flame

sutuun (m) (1)

pillar, column

daar (m) (2)

gallows / trees

saron (m) (1)

heads

sitam (m) (12)

tyranny, cruelty

siyaah (m) (1)

dark, black

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20 / 25 : Featured

ek us ko paane ke liye

kya kya kiya kya kya hua

visited many temples and mosques

met with priests and saints

just to attain my beloved

what all i did, what all happened

1999: Sahitya Akademi

1999: Padma Shri

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21 / 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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22 / 25 : Featured

saaya koyi lahraaye to

lagtaa hai ki tum ho

if i hear a soft tread

it feels like it’s you

even if a shadow flutters

it feels like it’s you

aahaT (f) (2)

sound (of footsteps)

lagtaa (m) (1)

feels like

saaya (m) (6)

shadow

waving

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23 / 25 : Featured

phir tasavvur ne liya

us bazm me jaane ka naam

flowers bloomed in sight again

and, again, my heart lit up

when i imagined again

going to the joyful gathering

nazar (f) (35)

perspective, sight

phool (m) (14)

flowers, flower

shamein (m) (2)

lights

tasavvur (m) (8)

imagination

bazm (m) (12)

assembly, gathering

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24 / 25 : Featured

zindagi bhar zindagi ki

justuju karte raho

in deep darkness,

keep looking for light

all through life,

keep looking for life

zulmaton (m) (1)

darkness

roshni (f) (5)

light, brightness

justuju (f) (6)

search, quest

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25 / 25 : Featured

to samundar ki tarah

shor machaata kya hai

your experience so trivial

your existence so shallow

why do you create a furor

like a noisy sea

ehsaas (m) (4)

feeling, experience

hasti (f) (3)

life, existence, being

paayaab (m) (1)

shallow, knee-deep

make noise

Theme: Miscellany (44)

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Ashaar (couplets) on other themes

Religion, Reason, & Tradition (73)

Ashaar (couplets) by others

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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