1 / 25 : Featured
duniya tere khayaal se
raushan hui to hai
with just one lamp
many lamps are lit
the whole world is brightened
just by the thought of you
Theme: Creativity, Philosophy, & Enlightenment (40)
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1
4.1K
2 / 25 : Featured
mushkil bahut hai un ko
jo rakhte hain aagahi
sauda, the ignorant
enjoy the most here
it is difficult for those
who are aware
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3.1K
3 / 25 : Featured
tujhe, aye zindagi,
hum door se pehchaan lete hain
for a long time now, i recognize
the soft sound of your footsteps
oh life,
i recognize you from afar
before
footsteps
sound (of footsteps)
identify, recognize
Theme: Life, Learning, & Living (128)
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4.6K
4 / 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 (109)
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2.7K
5 / 25 : Featured
aap se phir tum hue
phir tu ka unwaan ho gaye
when love grew beyond a point
it erased all formality
addressing as aap became a tum
which affectionately turned into tu
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0
1
2.3K
6 / 25 : Featured
saaf pehchan liya jata hun
roya hua main
i get acquainted with others
with a smile, ‘zafar’
but i get to know them clearly
only when i am weeping
Theme: Friends, Family, & Community (140)
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0
1.8K
7 / 25 : Featured
kooche ke us ke baashindon ne
sab ko yahin se salaam kiya
which sanctum? what holy direction?
what is sacred? which rituals?
we from the lane of the beloved
greeted everyone from here itself
holy mosque in Mecca
direction of prayer
pilgrimage attire
street
residents, inhabitants
greeting, farewell
Theme: Religion, Reason, & Tradition (70)
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1.8K
8 / 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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0
6
4.6K
9 / 25 : Featured
thi jo deewaar kabhi
ab hai woh dar ki soorat
what a marvel it is
my passion for freedom
what was once a wall
now appears as a doorway
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0
2
2.7K
10 / 25 : Featured
wo shakhs aa ke
mere shahr se chala bhi gaya
i kept picking flowers
and i didn’t even know
my beloved visited the city
and left too
Theme: Love, Passion, and Longing (114)
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0
6
2.2K
11 / 25 : Featured
tum sab se maazrat
ke tabeeyaat udaas hai
worry about livelihood, my heart's lament
and thoughts of my beloved
i beg your forgiveness
but am a bit melacholic today
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3.5K
12 / 25 : Featured
sukhan wo hai jise
har shakhs apna hi bayaan samjhe
her/his understanding relates to
the language of every heart
and the speech is such that
we all feel it is our own voice
0
0
2
3.4K
13 / 25 : Featured
ye qaafila bhi
naql-e-makaani mein kho gaya
never could the wave of tears
reach the eyes
this caravan too,
got lost in the migration
0
0
0
3.2K
14 / 25 : Featured
do aarzoo mein kaT gaye
do intezaar mein
seeking a long life
i got myself four days
two spent in wanting
and two in waiting
1
0
2
1.8K
15 / 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
0
0
1
5.0K
16 / 25 : Featured
tamaam umr ka ab
silsila hai mere liye
that one reflection flashed
in my sight for just a moment
now for my entire life
it is a saga for me
0
0
0
3.4K
17 / 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 (79)
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2.2K
18 / 25 : Featured
par itna jaante hain
kal wo jaata tha ke hum nikle
where’s the tavern’s entrance, ghalib,
and where is the preacher
i know only this…yesterday,
when i was coming out, he was going in
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0
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19 / 25 : Featured
naaz uThaane ko
hum rah gaye?
she is friendly
with all others
only i am left
to bear her whims and airs?
Theme: Beauty, Charm, & Union (109)
1
0
3
4.9K
20 / 25 : Featured
baiThe rahen
tasavvur-e-jaanan kiye hue
the heart keeps searching
for those days and nights of ease
sitting enmeshed
with the thoughts of my beloved
0
0
3
2.0K
21 / 25 : Featured
pyaar mein jab talak naheen TuuTe
dil kisi kaam ka naheen hota
it is not worth mentioning
not does it belong anywhere
until it breaks for the sake of love
this heart is of no use anywhere
Theme: Heart, Mind, & Memory (66)
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0
2
2.2K
22 / 25 : Featured
hai wasl se zyaada
mazaa intezaar ka
so many kinds of unmet desires
coursing through the heart
but more fun in the waiting
than there is in the getting
1
0
2
1.9K
23 / 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
eyes, eye
lips
spark, ember
methods, mechanisms
Theme: Life, Learning, & Living (128)
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4.5K
24 / 25 : Featured
mere pate se khalaq ko
kyon tera ghar mile?
please don’t bury me
in your lane after my murder
why should people find your house
while looking for me
Theme: Life, Learning, & Living (128)
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0
3.8K
25 / 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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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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