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6 Urdu couplets and shers with bahr

bahr(m): sea, body of water

Description of bahr: Bahr is a fundamental concept in Urdu poetry referring to the metrical pattern or rhythm that structures verse, much like prosody in English. Unlike fixed syllable counts in some languages, it relies on patterns of long and short syllables defined by watad and sabab . Differs from rag or taal in music, as it specifically governs poetic scansion rather than melody or beat. In literary usage, poets like Ghalib craft

1 / 6: bahr

juun mauj haath maariye kya bahr-e-ishq mein

saahil, 'naseer', duur hai

aur dam naheen raha

for how long can i thrash

like a wave in this ocean of love

the shore, 'naseer', is far away

and i have no breath left

Shah Naseer (7)

juun (m) (2)

the more

mauj (m) (6)

wave, waves, enjoyment

bahr (m) (6)

sea, body of water

ishq (m) (34)

love

saahil (m) (5)

shore, coast

duur (7)

distant, far away

dam (m) (9)

moment, breath

Theme: Grit, Resilience, & Courage (58)

2 / 6: bahr

chaaraagar ne bahr-e-taskeen rakh diya hai dil pe haath

meherbaan hai woh magar

na-aashnaa-e-zakhm hai

the healer, for comfort’s sake,

placed his hand on my heart

he is kind, but he is

not familiar with my ailment

Ahmad Faraz (21)

bahr (m) (6)

sea, body of water

taskeen (1)

comfort

dil (m) (109)

heart

haath (m) (12)

hand

meherbaan (2)

kind

magar (28)

yet, but

zakhm (m) (16)

wound, injury

Theme: Loneliness, Separation, & Grief (118)

4.7K

3 / 6: bahr

ham ko bharam ne bahr-e-tavahhum bana diya

dariyaa samajh ke kuud paDe

hum saraab mein

doubt has turned me into

a sea of delusion

thinking it is a river,

i jumped headlong into a mirage

Pandit Jawahar Nath Saqi (1)

bharam (m) (2)

doubt

bahr (m) (6)

sea, body of water

tavahhum (m) (1)

superstition

dariyaa (m) (14)

river

samajh (f) (6)

understand, understanding

saraab (m) (1)

mirage, illusion

Theme: Religion, Reason, & Tradition (70)

3.8K

4 / 6: bahr

na itna zulm kar ai chaandni bahr-e-khuda, chhup ja

tujhe dekhe se yaad aata hai

mujh ko mahtaab apnaa

do not be cruel, o moonlight

for god's sake, hide away

when i see you, i recall

the moon that was mine

Nazeer Akbarabadi (9)

zulm (m) (12)

cruelty, tyranny

chaandni (f) (4)

moonlight

bahr (m) (6)

sea, body of water

khuda (m) (31)

god

yaad (m) (35)

memory, remember

mahtaab (m) (5)

moon

Theme: Loneliness, Separation, & Grief (118)

5 / 6: bahr

khuda tujhe kisi toofan se aashna kar de

ki tere bahr ki maujon

mein izteraab naheen

may god familiarize

you with some storms

the waves of your sea

seem a little too calm

Mohammad Iqbal (28)

khuda (m) (31)

god

toofan (m) (9)

storm, cyclone

aashna (6)

familiar, friend, beloved

bahr (m) (6)

sea, body of water

maujon (m) (1)

waves

izteraab (m) (5)

restlessness

Theme: Grit, Resilience, & Courage (58)

3.0K

6 / 6: bahr

seekhe hain mahrukhon ke liye ham musavvari

taqreeb kuch to

bahr-e-mulaaqaat chaahiye

i learned to paint for the sake of

the moon-faced ones

something is needed

to gain an acquaintance

Mirza Ghalib (63)

mahrukhon (m) (1)

moon-faced, beautiful

musavvari (f) (1)

painting

taqreeb (m) (2)

ceremony, celebration

bahr (m) (6)

sea, body of water

mulaaqaat (f) (5)

meeting

Theme: Creativity, Philosophy, & Enlightenment (40)

2.5K

Featured Themes

Home, Country, & Belonging (30)

Nature, World & Universe (50)

Heart, Mind, & Memory (66)

Friends, Family, & Community (139)

Religion, Reason, & Tradition (70)

Hopes, Aspirations, & Dreams (37)

Oppression, Rebellion, & Freedom (61)

Life, Learning, & Living (127)

Grit, Resilience, & Courage (58)

Love, Passion, and Longing (113)

Loneliness, Separation, & Grief (118)

Creativity, Philosophy, & Enlightenment (40)

Beauty, Charm, & Union (109)

Miscellany (44)

Quest, Journey, & Destination (54)

Voice, Expression, & Language (78)

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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bahr(m): sea, body of water

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