1 / 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
Theme: Love, Passion, and Longing (111)
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2 / 25 : Featured
shaam ko phir
use kaandhon pe uTha laate hain
in the morning, i take my
funeral procession out from my home
only to bring it back
on my shoulders each evening
Theme: Grit, Resilience, & Courage (53)
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3 / 25 : Featured
zinda rahna hai to
tarkeeben bahut saari rakho
keep water in your eyes
and a spark on your lips
to stay alive
have many methods at hand
Theme: Life, Learning, & Living (123)
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4 / 25 : Featured
basthi ka har charaagh
bujhana pada hamein
for me to shine my lamp
as the moon
i had to snuff out
all the other lamps in the city
Theme: Friends, Family, & Community (129)
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5 / 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
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6 / 25 : Featured
wo log kaise sanwar jayen
jo tabaah nahin
from every night
a day dawns
how will they ever improve
who have not been destroyed
Theme: Grit, Resilience, & Courage (53)
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7 / 25 : Featured
apne haathon se us ne meri qabr pe
chadar-e-gul chadhai…maza aa gaya
oh ‘fana’, am glad on this day of death
she came to respect and honor my love
with her own hands she spread flowers
on my graveyard…’twas so thrilling
Theme: Love, Passion, and Longing (111)
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8 / 25 : Featured
kaha jo usne
zara mere paanv daab to de
‘asad’, with joy
my limbs were rendered immobile
when she said
please press my feet
Theme: Beauty, Charm, & Union (104)
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9 / 25 : Featured
magar ab ye hai kisi maharabaan ke
tapaak ne bhi rula diya
there was a time when even a thousand
arrows in the heart did not cause me grief
but now even the warm handshake
of a friend makes me weep
thousand
sad
yet, but
well-wisher, friend
intense passion
make me cry
Theme: Life, Learning, & Living (123)
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10 / 25 : Featured
aye khuda bas ek din
aaine ko zubaan de de
she accuses me of
falsely praising her beauty
o god, if only you could give
the mirrors a voice for a day
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11 / 25 : Featured
dahka hua hai aatish-e-gul se
chaman tamaam
the entire gathering was aglow
with the beauty of my beloved
just like the whole garden was ablaze
by the fire of the flower
2014: Commemorative Stamp, India
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12 / 25 : Featured
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
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13 / 25 : Featured
vagarna sher mera kya hai
shaayari kya hai
my ecstastic wanderings
brought joy to the world
if not, what is my poem,
of what worth is my poetry
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14 / 25 : Featured
jo chhanv mehrban ho
use apna ghar na jaan
whoever you find along the way
mistake them not as friends of life
that free shade you find
mistake it not as your home
Anonymous
Theme: Friends, Family, & Community (129)
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15 / 25 : Featured
shikast kha ke woh
pani mein zahr Daal aaya
what a strange passion
this thirst for revenge is
after being defeated,
he returned, poisoning the water
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16 / 25 : Featured
kah diya us ne ki
phir hum kya karen
after listening to my entire
story of sorrow and despair
she said
well, what can i do?
Theme: Miscellany (44)
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17 / 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 (70)
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18 / 25 : Featured
vo zindagi jo haseenon
ke darmiyaan guzre
that is called heaven
that is also hell
life that is spent
among the beautiful
1959: Sahitya Akademi
Theme: Life, Learning, & Living (123)
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19 / 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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20 / 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 (109)
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21 / 25 : Featured
woh sochta hai to
mujhko sunaayi deta hai
sometimes, he
grants such access
when he thinks
i can hear him
Theme: Friends, Family, & Community (129)
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22 / 25 : Featured
ghar mein jo tha bach gaya
aur jo naheen tha jal gaya
what a work of wonder is
surrendering to the fire of love
those in the house were saved
those that weren’t got burnt
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23 / 25 : Featured
vo zindagi jo haseenon
ke darmiyaan guzren
that is called heaven
that is also hell
life that is spent
among the beautiful
1959: Sahitya Akademi
Theme: Life, Learning, & Living (123)
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24 / 25 : Featured
woh zindagi hai jo
kaanTon ke darmiyaan guzre
the company of flowers
is indeed beautiful
but that is life which
happens amid thorns
1959: Sahitya Akademi
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25 / 25 : Featured
'jaun' yaaron ke
yaar the hum to
my friends now
don’t even remember me
though ‘juan’ was
a dear friend of theirs
Theme: Friends, Family, & Community (129)
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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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