1/50: Featured

khud ko paaya to

gham-e-aalam mein bhi khushi paayi

tanhaayi mein bhi

apni hi mehfil sajaayi

when I found myself

i found joy even in worldly sorrows

even in solitude

i arranged my own gathering

Theme:Loneliness, Solitude & Grief (94)

2/50: Featured

sada aish dauraan

dikhaata naheen

gaya waqt phir

haath aata naheen

fun and pleasure

don't show time passing

and the time that's passed

never returns

Theme:Life, Living & Dying (106)

3/50: Featured

abhi hain qurb ke

kuchh aur marhale baaqi

ke tujh ko pa ke hamen

phir teri tamanna hai

there are still stages

of closeness left

after attaining you

i still yearn for you

Theme:Love, Passion and Longing (93)

4/50: Featured

akele to hum

pehle hi jee rahe the

kyu tanha se ho gaye hum

tere jaane ke baad

I was living by myself

even earlier

why am I now lonely,

after you left?

Theme:Loneliness, Solitude & Grief (94)

5/50: Featured

kaam hai mera taghayyur

naam hai mera shabaab

mera naara:

inquilaab-o inquilaab-o inquilaab

change is my mission

youth is my name

my slogan:

revolution, revolution, revolution

Theme:Oppression, Rebellion & Freedom (44)

6/50: Featured

aksar maazi se poochta tha

kismat ka pataa

woh bola har lamhe mein

muqaddar chippa hai

often, i asked my past

about my fate

it replied that my destiny

is hidden in every moment

Theme:Life, Living & Dying (106)

7/50: Featured

yeh kehna tha un se

mohabbat hai mujh ko

yeh kehne mein mujh ko

zamaane lage hain

all i wanted to say was

that i am in love

for me to say this

took a lifetime

Theme:Love, Passion and Longing (93)

8/50: Featured

dasht aankhon mein tha

aawaaz mein veerani thi

kha gaya shahr use

kehte hain deewani thi

wilderness was in her eyes

and in her voice, desolation

the city exhausted her

and called her a mad one

Theme:Life, Living & Dying (106)

9/50: Featured

maloom jo hota hame

anjaam-e-mohabbat

lete na kabhi bhool ke ham

naam-e-mohabbat

had i known the

consequences of love

even by mistake, i wouldn’t have

uttered the name of love

Theme:Love, Passion and Longing (93)

10/50: Featured

tarq-e-taalluqaat pe

roya na tu na main

lekin ye kya ki chain se

soya na tu na main

in breaking up

neither you nor i did cry

but with peace

neither you nor i can sleep

Theme:Loneliness, Solitude & Grief (94)

11/50: Featured

jise le gayi abhi hawa

woh waraq tha dil ki kitaab ka

kahin aansuon se miTa hua

kahin aansuon se likha hua

that which the wind swept away

was the paper of the heart's book

sometimes defiled by tears

sometimes written by tears

Theme:Heart, Mind & Memory (58)

12/50: Featured

zara ek tabassum ki

takleef karna

ke gulzar mein

phool murjha rahe hai

do take the trouble

to smile once

for the flowers

in the garden are wilting

Theme:Beauty, Charm & Union (85)

13/50: Featured

kitne dinon ke

pyaase honge yaaro socho to

shabnam ka qatra bhi

jin ko dariya lagta hai

imagine for how long

they have been parched

for whom even a dew drop

seems a river

Theme:Miscellany (44)

14/50: Featured

zabt karta huun to

ghuThta hai qafas mein mera dam

aah karta huun to

sayyaad khafa hota hai

if i restrain myself and submit

i suffocate in this cage

if i sigh and complain

my captor becomes irate

Theme:Oppression, Rebellion & Freedom (44)

15/50: Featured

dil ko rafiq ishq mein

apna samajh na 'zauq'

tal jaayega ye apni balaa

tujh pe daal kar

in love, don’t mistake your

heart to be your friend, ‘zauq’

it will dump its troubles

on you and flee

Theme:Heart, Mind & Memory (58)

16/50: Featured

jise ishrat-kada-e-dahr

samajhta tha main

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

Theme:Nature, World & Universe (45)

17/50: Featured

mazhabi behas main ne

ki hi naheen

faaltu aql mujh mein

thi hi naheen

in religious debates

i did not participate

useless smarts

i did not have in me

Theme:Religion, Reason & Tradition (49)

18/50: Featured

talaash-e-talab mein woh lazzat mili hai

dua kar raha hoon ke manzil na aaye

raah-e-aashiqi ka taqaaza yehi hai ke

kashti chale par saahil na aaye

i found so much joy in the seeking of my desire

i am praying the destination never arrives

the demand of the path of love is just this:

boat keeps sailing, but shore is never reached

Theme:Quest, Journey & Destination (45)

19/50: Featured

kya farz hai ki sab ko

mile ek sa jawaab

aao na ham bhi sair karen

koh-e-tur ki

why is it necessary that

everyone gets the same answer

come, let’s go explore

the mountain of Sinai

Theme:Quest, Journey & Destination (45)

20/50: Featured

woh log bahut

khush-qismat thay

jo kaam ko

ishq samajhte thay

those were

most fortunate

who saw work

as their love

Theme:Love, Passion and Longing (93)

21/50: Featured

ilaaj-e-dard-e-dil tum se maseehaa

ho naheen saktaa

tum achchha kar naheen sakte

main achchha ho naheen saktaa

the cure for my heartache

oh messiah, is not possible

you can't help me

nor can i get better

Theme:Loneliness, Solitude & Grief (94)

22/50: Featured

jabeen par saadgi, neechi nigaahen

baat mein narmi

mukhaatab kaun kar sakta hai

tum ko lafz-e-qaatil se

innocence on face, eyes lowered

dulcet softness in voice

how can anyone address you

with the word 'assassin’

Theme:Beauty, Charm & Union (85)

23/50: Featured

apni taraf to main bhi

naheen huun abhi talak

aur us taraf tamaam

zamaana usi ka hai

until now, even i wasn’t

on my own side

and on that side

the whole world was her’s

Theme:Friends, Family & Community (111)

24/50: Featured

dil ki viraani ka

kya mazkur hai

ye nagar sau martaba

luta gaya

of this heart’s desolation

what’s there to say

a hundred times has

this city been plundered

Theme:Heart, Mind & Memory (58)

25/50: Featured

din to phir din hai

guzar jaati hai

raat kat thi hai

badi mushkil se

day is but a day,

it passes fast

it is the night that

is difficult to bear

Theme:Loneliness, Solitude & Grief (94)

26/50: Featured

muskuraye baghair bhi

vo hont

nazar aate hain

muskuraye huye

even without a smile

those lips

seem to be smiling

all the while

Theme:Beauty, Charm & Union (85)

27/50: Featured

keh raha hai shor-e-dariya se

samandar ka sakooth

jis mein jitna zarf hai

utna hi wo khaamosh hai

the calm of the ocean says

to the noise of the river

(s)he that can contain a lot

remains that silent

Theme:Miscellany (44)

28/50: Featured

daanista ham ne apne

sabhi gham chhupaa liye

poocha kisi ne haal

to bas muskuraa diye

deliberately, knowingly

i hid all my sorrows

when someone asked how i was

i just smiled

Theme:Loneliness, Solitude & Grief (94)

29/50: Featured

paani mein aks

aur kisi aasmaan ka hai

ye naav kaun si hai

ye dariya kahan ka hai

the mountain of needs

won’t let me get tired

my children

won’t let me grow old

30/50: Featured

seena-e-ney pe

jo guzarti hai

wo lab-e-ney

nawaaz kya jaane

that passes through

the heart of the flute

what do the lips

the caress it know?

Theme:Voice, Expression & Language (62)

31/50: Featured

woh muskura ke koi

baat kar raha tha 'shumar'

aur us ke lafz bhi thay

chaandni mein bikhre hue

he was smiling and

saying something, ‘shumar’

and his words too…

were scattered with moonlight

Theme:Beauty, Charm & Union (85)

32/50: Featured

tere jaane mein

aur aane mein

hum ne sadiyon ka

faasla dekha

between your going

and coming

i have experienced

the distance of ages

Theme:Miscellany (44)

33/50: Featured

mamnuun huun jahaan ke

nasheb-o-faraaz ka

aksar bigaD ke khud

meri haalat sambhal gayi

i am grateful for

the ups and downs of the world

often, my situation goes awry

before it corrects itself

Theme:Life, Living & Dying (106)

34/50: Featured

ye kisi naam ka naheen hota

ye kisi dhaam ka naheen hota

pyaar mein jab talak naheen TuuTe

dil kisi kaam ka naheen hota

it is not worth mentioning

not does it belong anywhere

until it breaks for the sake of love

this heart is of no use anywhere

Theme:Heart, Mind & Memory (58)

35/50: Featured

khuda tujhe kisi

toofan se aashna kar de

ki tere bahr ki maujon

mein izteraab naheen

may god familiarize

you with some storms

the waves of your sea

seem a little too calm

Theme:Grit, Resilience & Courage (38)

36/50: Featured

vo raaten chaand ke saath gayin

vo baaten chaand ke saath gayin

ab sukh ke sapne kya dekhen

jab dukh ka sooraj sar par ho

those nights have gone with the moon

those words have gone with the moon

how can i now see dreams of happiness

with the searing sun of sorrow on my head

Theme:Loneliness, Solitude & Grief (94)

37/50: Featured

Thokar kisi patthar se

agar khai hai main ne

manzil ka nishaan bhi

usi patthar se mila hai

the stone that

tripped me

the pointer to my destination

i got from the same stone

Theme:Quest, Journey & Destination (45)

38/50: Featured

ishq mein bhi

siyaasaten nikli

qurbaton mein bhi

faasla nikla

in love too

politics arose

in even closeness

distances emerged

Theme:Friends, Family & Community (111)

39/50: Featured

waqt aane de

dikha denge tujhe, aye aasmaan

hum abhi se kyun bataayen

kya hamaare dil mein hai

let the time come and

i will show you, oh world

why should i tell you now

what’s in my heart

Theme:Heart, Mind & Memory (58)

40/50: Featured

aashiqui sabr-talab

aur tamanna betaab

dil ka kya rang karuun

khoon-e-jigar hote tak

love demands patience

but desire is restless

how shall i color my heart

until it is finally vanquished

Theme:Heart, Mind & Memory (58)

41/50: Featured

ulTi ik haath se

naqaab unki

ek se apne dil ko

thaam liya

with one hand

i lifted her veil

with the other

i held my heart

Theme:Beauty, Charm & Union (85)

42/50: Featured

ki hai ustad-e-azal ne

ye rubaayi mauzoon

chaar unsoor se khule

maani-e-pinhaan ham ko

the unforgettable poet

has crafted this amazing couplet

in four lines she revealed

the concealed meaning (of life?)

Theme:Creativity, Philosophy & Enlightenment (30)

43/50: Featured

itni shiddat se maine tumhe

paane ki koshish ki hai

ki har zarre ne mujhe tumse

milaane ki saazish ki hai

with so much dedication

did i strive and struggle to win you

that every atom of the universe

conspired to help me achieve it

Theme:Nature, World & Universe (45)

44/50: Featured

maana ho tum

behad haseen

aise bure

hum bhi naheen

i concede

you are a limitless beauty

i too am not

that bad

Theme:Beauty, Charm & Union (85)

45/50: Featured

zindagi yuun hui

basar tanha

qaafila saath

aur safar tanha

life transpired

spent alone

moving with the caravan

but traveling alone

Theme:Quest, Journey & Destination (45)

46/50: Featured

tujhse milne ko

beqaraar tha dil

tujhse mil kar bhi

beqaraar raha

to meet you

my heart was restless

even after meeting you

my heart remained restless

Theme:Love, Passion and Longing (93)

47/50: Featured

khush aaye tujhe

shahr-e-munaafiq ki ameeri

hum logon ko sach kahne ki

aadat bhi bahut thi

may the wealth of the hypocrites

of the city bring you joy

but we also had the habit

of telling the truth

Theme:Oppression, Rebellion & Freedom (44)

48/50: Featured

izn-e-khiraam lete hue

aasmaan se hum

haT kar chale hain

raahguzar-e-kaarwaan se hum

taking permission to leave

from the heavens above

we parted ways from

the path of the caravan

Theme:Quest, Journey & Destination (45)

49/50: Featured

aql se sirf

zehn raushan tha

ishq ne dil mein

raushni ki hai

reason just

lit up the mind

love filled my

heart with light

Theme:Creativity, Philosophy & Enlightenment (30)

50/50: Featured

tera ehsaas zara sa

teri hasti paayaab

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

Theme:Miscellany (44)