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This is such an amazing initiative! This is a great collection of Urdu poetry which has been made accessible to everybody.

— Aditi Rao Hydari, Actor

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ye dushmani hai saaqi

1 / 1: Couplet

ye dushmani hai saaqi yaa dosti hai saaqi

auron ko jaam denaa

mujh ko dikhaa dikhaa ke

is those hostility, o wine-pourer,

or your friendship

serving wine to others

while teasing me, showing the cup

Ali Jawad Zaidi (4)

dushmani (f) (2)

enmity

saaqi (f) (11)

wine-pourer, bartender

dosti (f) (5)

friendship

auron (m) (2)

others

jaam (m) (11)

wine cup, goblet

Theme: Hopes, Aspirations, & Dreams (38)

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Interpretation

Shaayar Zaidi seems to hover in that deliciously cruel space between desire and denial.

The saaqi becomes less a person and more a force, dispensing pleasure unevenly, almost theatrically, favoring others while teasing the shaayar.

What stings is not the absence of wine but the deliberate display of it, a slow burn of exclusion.

Is this neglect, or a twisted intimacy where longing itself becomes the offering?

Featured Themes

Voice, Expression, & Language (81)

Beauty, Charm, & Union (112)

Life, Learning, & Living (132)

Love, Passion, and Longing (118)

Loneliness, Separation, & Grief (120)

Friends, Family, & Community (142)

Quest, Journey, & Destination (54)

Nature, World & Universe (50)

Hopes, Aspirations, & Dreams (38)

Miscellany (44)

Grit, Resilience, & Courage (59)

Religion, Reason, & Tradition (72)

Oppression, Rebellion, & Freedom (61)

Home, Country, & Belonging (30)

Creativity, Philosophy, & Enlightenment (40)

Heart, Mind, & Memory (66)

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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