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1 / 25 : Featured

insha-ji ab ajnabiyon meinchain se baaqi umr kaaTe

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

Ibn e Insha (5)
umr bhar (11)

lifelong

ajnabiyon (f) (1)

strangers

chain (m) (4)

peace

kaaTe (2)

spend

basti (f) (2)

city, town, village

pyaaron (m) (1)

lovedones

Theme: Home, Country, & Belonging (32)

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2 / 25 : Featured

aawaz-e-shikast-e-dil hi to hai

aawaz-e-shikast-e-jaam nahin

why draw needless attention to

the joy and elation inspired by wine

that sound is only of the heart breaking

not that of the (wine) goblet breaking

1959: Sahitya Akademi

sharaab (m) (14)

wine, liquor, drink

mast (m) (2)

intoxication, carefree

tawajjoh (m) (2)

attention, interest

tarab (m) (4)

ecstasy, high emotion

shikast (m) (4)

broken, defeated

jaam (m) (11)

wine cup, goblet

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3 / 25 : Featured

ye haadsa tha ki main

umr bhar safar mein raha

i knew that those at home

were waiting for me

the misfortune was that i spent

my whole life out traveling

Anonymous

safar (m) (27)

journey, travel

lifelong

khabar (f) (13)

news, awareness

intezaar (m) (22)

waiting

haadsa (m) (2)

misfortune, accident

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4 / 25 : Featured

leejiye ya deejiye

inkaar rahne deejiye

please stop arguing

about a kiss on the cheek

either i give or you give

but pray do not refuse

bosa (m) (5)

kiss

rukhsaar (m) (2)

face, cheek

takraar (m) (1)

argument, tiff

inkaar (m) (6)

rejection, refusal

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5 / 25 : Featured

aisi boli wohi bole

jise urdu aaye

when she speaks, from every word

a delightful fragrance

she speaks like those

who know urdu

lafz (m) (6)

word, syllable

khushboo (m) (1)

fragrance

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6 / 25 : Featured

khaak ka rizq hai woh qatra

ke dariyaa na hua

it remains a scar on the heart

the lament that didn’t reach the lips

it remains a part of the dust

the drop that doesn’t become the river

dariyaa (m) (14)

river

seene (m) (8)

heart, chest

daagh (m) (8)

scars, stains

naala (m) (4)

cry, lament, wail

lab (m) (19)

lip, lips

khaak (f) (7)

dust, ashes, worthless

qatra (m) (5)

drop, drop of water

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7 / 25 : Featured

rahte rahte station par

log coolie ho jaate hain

bearing burdens is hardly a passion

it is a barter of compulsion

staying at the station

people soon become porters

2014: Sahitya Akademi

shauq (m) (14)

passion, zeal

bojh (m) (2)

burden

majboori (f) (1)

helplessness, compulsion

sauda (m) (2)

business, barter, trade

coolie (m) (1)

porter

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8 / 25 : Featured

hausle aag ko

gulzaar bana dete hain

i touched her lips and cheeks

to realize

courage can turn fire

into a garden of flowers

lab (m) (19)

lip, lips

rukhsaar (m) (2)

face, cheek

chhu (m) (2)

touch

hausla (m) (6)

valor, courage

aag (m) (5)

fire

gulzaar (m) (2)

garden

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9 / 25 : Featured

ungliyaan figaar apni

khaama khoon-chakaan apna

for how long will i write of my pain

maybe i should go show her

my wounded fingers

and my blood-drenched pen

dikhla (m) (1)

show

ungliyaan (f) (1)

fingers

figaar (m) (1)

wounded

khaama (m) (1)

quill, writing reed

blood-drenched

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10 / 25 : Featured

le de ke ek dil hai

so TuuTa hua sa hai

what gift to your beauty

can i offer, when all I have

is a heart,

that too somewhat broken

1987: Sahitya Akademi

2008: Jnanpith

husn (m) (21)

beauty

nazraana (m) (1)

gift

TuuTa (2)

broken

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11 / 25 : Featured

baiThe hain unheen ke kooche mein

hum aaj gunahgaaron ki tarah

in whose heart i was once present

like i was more dear than life itself

today i am sitting in her street

like a common criminal

1993: Dadasaheb Phalke Award

2013: India Commemorative Stamp

jaan (m) (17)

life, strength / beloved

kooche (m) (3)

street

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12 / 25 : Featured

baaqi umr

izaafi hai

one love

is enough

the rest of life

is just surplus

mohabbat (f) (42)

love

kaafi (3)

enough

umr (m) (16)

life

izaafi (f) (1)

extra, surplus

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13 / 25 : Featured

ruuTh kar vaqt ganvaane ki

zaroorat kya hai

as it is, life is

too short for loving

why get upset and

waste it all away

Anonymous

zindagi (f) (41)

life

mohabbat (f) (42)

love

ganvaane (m) (1)

waste

zaroorat (f) (4)

need, necessity

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14 / 25 : Featured

aur kabhi qatra samundar mein

badal jaata hai

even a river can get

trapped and confined in a jar

and, a drop of water can get

transformed when part of an ocean

band (7)

string, hostage, captive

kuuze (m) (1)

jar

kabhi (27)

on occasion

dariyaa (m) (14)

river

qatra (m) (5)

drop, drop of water

samundar (m) (7)

sea, ocean

badal (m) (5)

change

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15 / 25 : Featured

jala ke apna diya

raushni makaan mein la

lights of the street are surely

a thousand times brighter

but light your own lamp

and bring light into the house

charaagh (m) (16)

lamp, light, flame

raahguzar (m) (5)

path

bright, shining

raushni (f) (9)

light, brightness

makaan (m) (6)

house

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16 / 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

baazi (f) (3)

gamble, bet

naadaan (m) (2)

naive, foolish, witless

jeetna (1)

win

haare (1)

defeated

keep moving

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17 / 25 : Featured

khushk mausam tha

magar TuuT ke barsaat hui

eyes welled with the

reunion of the loved one

after a long season of drought

the sky broke to rain down

aankh (m) (11)

eyes, eye

bhar (12)

fill

mulaaqaat (f) (5)

meeting

khushk (m) (2)

dry, drought

mausam (m) (6)

weather, season

magar (29)

yet, but

TuuT (5)

break

barsaat (f) (3)

rain

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18 / 25 : Featured

milengi khamiyaan apne hi

shah-kaaron mein

if i would see myself

through the eyes of others

i’d surely see the flaws indeed

in my own reasons and actions

aankhon (m) (13)

eyes

khamiyaan (f) (1)

shortcomings

shah-kaaron (m) (1)

deeds, masterpieces

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19 / 25 : Featured

kinaare se kabhi

andaaza-e-toofan nahin hota

those who watch the spectacle

of the storm from the shore

from the shore, will never

understand the storm’s fury

kinaare (m) (2)

shore

toofan (m) (9)

storm, cyclone

tamaasha (m) (3)

spectacle, drama, show

kabhi (27)

on occasion

andaaza (m) (2)

estimate, approximation

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20 / 25 : Featured

woh ek diya bujhaa to

saikDon diye jala gaya

the wind of tyranny wonders

what vortex it finds itself in

as it snuffs out one lamp

a thousand lamps get lit

hava (m) (8)

breeze, wind

zulm (m) (12)

cruelty, tyranny

sochti (1)

to think

bhanwar (m) (1)

vortex, whirlpool

bujhaa (5)

extinguish, turn off

many, hundreds

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21 / 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

pahlu (m) (4)

side

raat (f) (14)

night

sanwar (m) (2)

correct, reform, rectify

tabaah (m) (2)

wasted, ruined

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22 / 25 : Featured

be-naqaab

hote hain

people

don’t change, ghalib

they become

unmasked

Anonymous

unveiled, unmasked

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23 / 25 : Featured

yaani is dasht mein zor se

bolna bhi akaarat gaya

i keep hearing just

the echo of my shouts

in this desolation, it is futile

no matter how loud i scream

dasht (m) (5)

wilderness, desert

baazgasht (m) (1)

echo

zor (m) (4)

power, control

akaarat (f) (1)

futile, useless

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24 / 25 : Featured

ye log kyon mere

zakhm-e-jigar ko dekhte hain

may no evil eye fall

on her hands and arms

why do these people

keep gazing at my heart’s wounds

zakhm (m) (16)

wound, injury

dasto (m) (1)

hands

baazoo (m) (1)

arms

jigar (m) (8)

heart

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25 / 25 : Featured

tujh ko dekhe

mere nazar se koyi

what is it

that is lacking in you

someone ought to see

you with my eyes

1987: Sahitya Akademi

2008: Jnanpith

nazar (f) (35)

perspective, sight

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Ashaar (couplets) on other themes

Friends, Family, & Community (148)

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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