1 / 25 : Featured
mashuqa ke liye seekhi urdu
urdu mashuqa ho gayi hai
what was our love
and what has it now become?
i learned urdu for my beloved
urdu has now become my beloved
Theme: Voice, Expression, & Language (84)
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2.3K
2 / 25 : Featured
shauq-e-talab ne dil ko
sanam-khaana kar diya
my religion is not
one of worshiping idols
my passion for seeking has
turned my heart into a temple
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1.9K
3 / 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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1.7K
4 / 25 : Featured
woh qatl bhi karte hai to
charcha nahin hota
even if i sigh a little
i am harshly censured
when he commits murder
there isn't even a murmur
Theme: Oppression, Rebellion, & Freedom (70)
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5 / 25 : Featured
apne haathon se usne meri qabr par
chaadar-e-gul chaDaayi maza aa gaya
oh fana, am thankful that after my death
she herself came to honor my love
with her own hands she spread flowers
on my grave…it was so delightful
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4.9K
6 / 25 : Featured
bandagi se
khuda nahin milta
through love,
you will find, o priest
through worship,
you won't find god
Theme: Religion, Reason, & Tradition (78)
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2.6K
7 / 25 : Featured
kahin se tum bayaan karte
kahin se hum bayaan karte
it is such a delight
reliving stories of the past
you narrate from one end
and i from the other
Theme: Voice, Expression, & Language (84)
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2.9K
8 / 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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2.4K
9 / 25 : Featured
hum ne sadiyon ka
faasla dekha
between your going
and coming
i have experienced
the distance of ages
Theme: Miscellany (44)
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4.7K
10 / 25 : Featured
ise jeetna hai to
haare chala ja
this gamble is
the gamble of love, o fool
to win this game…
keep going even if losing
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3.0K
11 / 25 : Featured
dekhna hai kheenchta hai
mujh pe pehla teer kaun
my friends too
like my enemies…are free
i have to see who
shoots the first arrow at me
Theme: Friends, Family, & Community (152)
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4.5K
12 / 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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4.1K
13 / 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 (70)
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4.9K
14 / 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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2.5K
15 / 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 (152)
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3.1K
16 / 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
Theme: Creativity, Philosophy, & Enlightenment (42)
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3.4K
17 / 25 : Featured
muskuraahat ki choTi si dukaan hai
nafraton ke baazaar mein
ask me not, friends,
what i do for a living
i have a small shop of smiles
in the market of hatred
Anonymous
Theme: Love, Passion, and Longing (132)
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3.0K
18 / 25 : Featured
aashiq ka janaaza hai
zara dhoom se nikle
let’s walk along as wishes
spring from the heart of the dead
it’s the funeral of a lover
let us celebrate with fanfare
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4.0K
19 / 25 : Featured
ye lijiye aap ka ghar aa gaya hai
haath chhoDen
i am used to solitude
forget about me
here, your home has arrived
please leave my hand
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1
4.9K
20 / 25 : Featured
mazaa har ek leta hai
mohabbat karta hai kaun
what is urdu
but a courtesan in a brothel
everyone has fun with her
but who loves her really?
love
brothel
prostitute, courtesan
fun, delight
Theme: Voice, Expression, & Language (84)
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6
3.7K
21 / 25 : Featured
peeye jaoon main
khoon hee kab tak
hope i’ll be fortunate to
enjoy the wine of union
for how long do i
keep drinking blood
Theme: Beauty, Charm, & Union (116)
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3.4K
22 / 25 : Featured
jo thak ke baith jaata
ho manzil ke saamne
shed tears for the unmet
desires of that hapless traveler
who sits tired by the road,
with his destination in sight
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2.6K
23 / 25 : Featured
aye jaane wafa
yeh zulm na kar
tyranny for loved ones
kindness for strangers
o faithful one
be not so cruel
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1
4.9K
24 / 25 : Featured
aur ye bhi dekhte hain
koyi dekhta na ho
she looks in the mirror
to check herself out
she also looks to make sure
no one's looking
Theme: Beauty, Charm, & Union (116)
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3.5K
25 / 25 : Featured
dard jab
jaan-nawaaz ho jaaye
who will
plead with the healer
when pain
itself is life-giving
Theme: Love, Passion, and Longing (132)
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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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