1 / 25 : Featured
phool hai qatra-e-shabnam se
bahal jayega
why should i keep my heart
waiting for the clouds of mercy
the flower is satisfied
with a drop of morning dew
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2
3.4K
2 / 25 : Featured
hum ne pal bhar mein
naseebon ko badalte dekha
those enthroned in the morn
were declared criminals by dusk
we have, in a blink,
seen fortunes reversed
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0
1
5.0K
3 / 25 : Featured
raat ke pichle pehar
roz jagati hai hamen
your memory, sometimes as a knock
and sometimes as a whisper
wakes me up
in the wee hour, every night
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3.5K
4 / 25 : Featured
doosra naam hai
meri shab-e-tanhaai ka
what does anyone know
about the day of apocalypse
it is another name for
my night of loneliness
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1
5.0K
5 / 25 : Featured
main hoon dard-e-ishq se jaan-ba-lab
mujhe zindagi ki dua na de
my companion, my mate
don’t cheat me by being my friend
on the verge of death with pain of love
don’t bless me with any more life
1961: Filmfare Award for Best Lyricist
1962: Filmfare Award for Best Lyricist
1963: Filmfare Award for Best Lyricist
fellow songster
fellow traveler
cheat, trick, deceit
brink of death
blessing, prayer
Theme: Loneliness, Separation, & Grief (121)
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4.4K
6 / 25 : Featured
dekh kar tasveer ko
tasveer phir kheenchi to kya
one show draw a portrait
from just one's imagination
if a picture is drawn by
looking at another...what's the point?
Theme: Creativity, Philosophy, & Enlightenment (40)
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1
3.9K
7 / 25 : Featured
zindagi bhar zindagi ki
justuju karte raho
in deep darkness,
keep looking for light
all through life,
keep looking for life
Theme: Life, Learning, & Living (132)
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3.5K
8 / 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
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1.9K
9 / 25 : Featured
ab tu khuda bhi ban jaaye to
main sajda na karoon
that time has passed
when i pined for you
now, even if you become god
i will not bow to you
Anonymous
1
0
0
2.7K
10 / 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
perspective, sight
Theme: Beauty, Charm, & Union (114)
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0
0
2.7K
11 / 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
12 / 25 : Featured
kisi ko hum na mile
aur hum ko tu na mila
here, no one got
as per their desires
someone didn't get me
and, i didn't get you
Theme: Hopes, Aspirations, & Dreams (38)
1
0
2
198
13 / 25 : Featured
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 (73)
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0
0
5.1K
14 / 25 : Featured
wan ek khaamoshi teri
sab ke jawaab mein
millions of words
in turmoil on my lip
and your reply for them all
is just silence
0
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0
2.8K
15 / 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 (82)
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0
5
3.7K
16 / 25 : Featured
baarish mein jo huroof hain
woh hain sharaab mein
why shouldn't the pleasure
of wine also exist in water?
the expressive intoxication of rain
is also found in wine
comfort, joy, pleasure
wine drinking
water
rain
letters
wine, liquor, drink
Theme: Nature, World & Universe (50)
3
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1
163
17 / 25 : Featured
jo aashna-e-lazzat-e-
dard-e-nihaan nahin
like birds, they
make noise, night and day
those who are not familiar
with the sweet pangs of separation
nightingale
pleasure, joy, delight
make noise
familiar, friend, beloved
separation, hidden, secret
Theme: Loneliness, Separation, & Grief (121)
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0
2.9K
18 / 25 : Featured
shukr hai zindagi
tabaah na kee
i didn’t have the priest
perform rituals and customs
happy that i didn’t
waste my life thus
Theme: Religion, Reason, & Tradition (73)
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0
6
2.2K
19 / 25 : Featured
us ke bina to aaj
adhuure apne fasaane lagte hain
if there is someone to listen
i’d share the matters of my heart
without them, today,
even my stories seem incomplete
Theme: Voice, Expression, & Language (82)
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0
1
1.8K
20 / 25 : Featured
hamein nawaaza na wahshaton ne
hamein junoon ke hunar na aaye
what was this mission i set out on
which had no dangerous paths
i wasn’t blessed with fearlessness
nor did i master the art of passion
mission, challenging task
full of danger
favored, blessed
by the wilds/wilderness
passion, madness
skill, art
Theme: Quest, Journey, & Destination (55)
1
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0
2.9K
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 (144)
1
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2
5.0K
22 / 25 : Featured
nahi visaal mayassar
to aarzoo hi sahi
if the destination is not in sight
the quest is the way
if union with the beloved is not possible
just the desire is the way
0
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0
2.6K
23 / 25 : Featured
meri agar sunoge to
ausaan jaayenge
hearing about majnu’s state
you got so disturbed
if you hear of mine,
you’ll be at your wit’s end
Theme: Loneliness, Separation, & Grief (121)
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4.7K
24 / 25 : Featured
jis diye mein jaan hogi
woh diya rah jaayega
now the winds decide
the fate of the light
the lamps that are strong
will remain lit
Theme: Grit, Resilience, & Courage (59)
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4.4K
25 / 25 : Featured
to intezaar mein baiTha
huaa huun shaam se main
that moon told me this and left
that she will come out today
i am here all evening
waiting in anticipation
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1.6K
Ashaar (couplets) on other themes
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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