1 / 25 : Featured
main apna jaam uThaatha huun
tu kitaab uTha
let’s find out, o priest, where the
lightning comes from
i will raise my glass of wine,
you raise your holy book
1959: Sahitya Akademi
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3.9K
2 / 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 (66)
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4.8K
3 / 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 (56)
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2.9K
4 / 25 : Featured
dil laga kar hum to
pachhtaaye bahut
many wounds i bore,
many scars did i sustain
getting my heart entangled
i regretted a lot
Theme: Heart, Mind, & Memory (66)
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2.7K
5 / 25 : Featured
maut ka ek din muayyin hai
neend kyun raat bhar nahi aati
no hope comes to pass
no face seen anywhere
death has a fixed day to arrive
why then doesn't sleep come all night
1
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1.8K
6 / 25 : Featured
main jis makaan mein rehta hoon
usko ghar kar de
oh god, make me
a trustworthy person
and the house in which i live
make it my home
Theme: Home, Country, & Belonging (32)
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1
4.8K
7 / 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
Theme: Voice, Expression, & Language (82)
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5.1K
8 / 25 : Featured
vo teri yaad mein ho
ya tujhe bhulaane mein
the days of my life
were thus spent, my dear
either in remembering you
or in an effort to forget
Theme: Heart, Mind, & Memory (66)
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1
1.7K
9 / 25 : Featured
saaf chupte bhi nahin
saamne aate bhi nahin
wearing a fine veil
sitting behind a lattice screen
neither quite concealed
nor fully revealed
Theme: Beauty, Charm, & Union (115)
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10 / 25 : Featured
kaash tujh ko bhi
ek jhalak dekhun
for how long will i see you
in dreams and dreams alone
if only i could see you
for real even if for a moment
Theme: Hopes, Aspirations, & Dreams (39)
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3.3K
11 / 25 : Featured
us ko bhi apne khuda hone pe
itna hi yaqeen tha
before you another man
was the ruling king here
who was just as convinced
that he was god himself
2009: Nishan-e-Imtiaz
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12 / 25 : Featured
ajab insaaf hai dekho
kahan karna, kahan bharna
the mistakes are of the past
but punishments given now
see what strange justice this is
where to do, where to pay?
Theme: Time, Life & Learning (135)
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2.5K
13 / 25 : Featured
mere junoon ne banai hai
tere zulf ki shaam
my enchantment has revealed
the dawn of your face
my madness has created
the dusk of your tresses
1
0
1
4.7K
14 / 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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3.7K
15 / 25 : Featured
qurbaton mein bhi
faasla nikla
in love too
politics arose
in even closeness
distances emerged
Theme: Friends, Family, & Community (148)
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16 / 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 (82)
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17 / 25 : Featured
chup khaDa hoon bhool kar
raaste mein manzil ka pata
hope the guide doesn’t
turn a robber
as i stand alone in the path
forgetting my destination
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2.1K
18 / 25 : Featured
shikwe bhi hain tujhi se
aur pyaar bhi tujhi se
you are the pain, the blessing too
the wound and the cure too
complaint is against you too
and my love is for you too
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3.3K
19 / 25 : Featured
ishq ke is safar ne to
mujh ko niDhaal kar diya
lack the courage to move forward
yet, stopping is now impossible
the journey of love
has left me weary, exhausted
0
0
1
4.3K
20 / 25 : Featured
hum un se rishta-e-dil
ustuvaar karte rahe
i never complained about
the separation for this reason
i kept nurturing this
relationship of the heart with her
1
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2
1.9K
21 / 25 : Featured
aur phir vo bhi
zabaani meri
when did she listen
to my sorry state
that too when i
narrated it myself
Theme: Voice, Expression, & Language (82)
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3.3K
22 / 25 : Featured
kaise naadaan hain
shoalon ko hawa dete hain
people punish me
for my crime of love
how naive they are…
stoking the flames more
crime
love, friendship, affection
punishment
naive, foolish, witless
Theme: Friends, Family, & Community (148)
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23 / 25 : Featured
khaana-e-dil jo gira hai
use taameer karo
concern yourself not about
buildings under the sky
rebuild that which has fallen
in the house of your heart
0
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4.6K
24 / 25 : Featured
na ye haath baag par hai
na paa hai rikaab mein
this horse of life is galloping away
not knowing where it will stop
the reins not in my hand
nor my feet in the stirrup
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25 / 25 : Featured
us ko bhi bhoolna
achcha laga pehle pehle
(my) heart did not have
a sad face in the beginning
it felt good for it
to forget in the beginning
Theme: Heart, Mind, & Memory (66)
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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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