69 Urdu ash'ar / shaayari (shers, couplets) on the theme:
Voice, Expression & Language
jo baat lab se na nikli
woh dil mein dard bani
jo alfaaz mein aayi
woh sirf kahaani ban gayi
words that didn't find voice
remained as pain within the heart
those that did
turned into just tales
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6
sukhan banaa hai
jigar ke dard ka marham
yahi to hai mere
jazbaat ka izhaar
poetry has become the balm
for the wounds of my heart
and this is the
voice of my emotions
1959: Sahitya Akademi
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3
jaa paDe chup ho ke jab
shahr-e-khamoshaan mein, 'nazeer'
ye ghazal, ye rekhta
ye sher-khvaani phir kahaan?
when i, nazeer, go quietly
into the city of silence
where will then be, this poetry,
this reciting of verses?
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11
sher ko mazmun seti
qadr ho hai 'aabroo'
qaafiya seti milaaya
qaafiya to kya hua
a verse is precious
for the depth of its thought
what's the use of just
matching rhyme with rhyme
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aadmi kya woh na samjhe
jo sukhan ki qadr ko
nutq ne haivaan se
musht-e-khaak ko insaan kiya
can one truly be human
who does not value speech?
it is the power of speech that turned
a lump of clay of beast into a human
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11
rahegi aab-o-hava mein
khayaal ki bijli
bahaar-e-aalam-e-faani
rahe, rahe na rahe
the lightning of thought
shall remain forever
whether the beauty of this
fleeting world stays or fades away
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32
us jaan-e-taghazzul ne
jab bhi kaha kuchh kahiye
main bhool gayaa aksar
yaad aayi huyi ghazalein
whenever my muse of grace
asked me to say something
i forget, often and again,
the poetry i memorized
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22
iqbal baDa updeshak hai
mann baaton mein moh leta hai
guftaar ka ghaazi ban to gaya
kirdaar ka ghaazi ban na saka
iqbal is an eloquent moralist
captivating minds with his talk
he became a warrior of speech
but failed to become one of action
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24
bana husn-e-takallum
husn-e-zan aahista aahista
bahar-surat khula
ek kam-sukhan aahista aahista
the beauty of eloquence turned into
beauty of insight, slowly, slowly
the reticent one opened up
in every way, slowly, slowly
beauty
speech, eloquence
slow, deliberate
in all forms
reserved, reticent
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24
ghalat thay vaade
magar main yaqeen rakhta tha
woh shakhs lahja
bahut dil-nasheen rakhta tha
the promises were false
yet, i believed in them
that person possessed
a voice so enchanting
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24
ye samajh ke maana hai sach
tumhaari baaton ko
itne khoobsoorat lab
jhooT kaise bolenge
thinking this i
believed all that you said
how can such beautiful
tell any lies?
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26
kaaghaz mein dab ke
mar gaye keeDe kitaab ke
deewaana be-paDhe-likhe
mashhoor ho gaya
insects of the book
died, buried in paper
while the unschooled madman
became famous
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42
bazm-e-adab-e-hind ke
har gul mein hai khushbu
mulla, gul-e-urdu ki mehak
aur hi kuchh hai
every flower of indian literature
has a wonderful scent
but the fragrance of urdu, mulla,
is something else
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4.4K
hota hai raaz-e-ishq-o-mohabbat
unhi se faash
aankhen zubaan naheen hain
magar bezubaan naheen
the secret of love and affection
is revealed through them
eyes are not tongues
but they are not voiceless either
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lab kuchh bhi kahen
is se haqeeqat naheen khulti
insaan ke sach jhoot
ki pehchaan hain aankhen
no matter what the lips say
the reality is not revealed
the eyes are the real markers
of truth and lies
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izhaar pe bhari hai
khamoshi ka takallum
harfon ki zubaan aur hai
aankhon ki zubaan aur
the eloquence of silence
outweighs any expression
the language of words is one
the language of eyes is something else
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4.6K
kitne lahjon ke ghilaafon mein
chhupaun tujh ko
shahr waale mera
mauzoo-e-sukhan jaante hain
in how many sheaths of words
can i hide you
people of the city know
you are the subject of my speech
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3.2K
main bhi na thi kalaam mein
itni faraakh-dil
kuchh woh bhi ikhtisaar se
aage na jaa saka
i too was not generous
in my conversing
he too couldn't
get past his reticence
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4.1K
dekhna taqreer ki lazzat
ke jo us ne kaha
main ne ye jaana ke
goya ye bhi mere dil mein hai
behold the charm of his speech
as what he said, i figured...
resonates within me
as if it is in my heart too
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1.6K
hai fahm us ka jo
har insaan ke dil ki zubaan samjhe
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
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3.3K
charaagh jalte hain
baad-e-saba mehakti hai
tumhare husn-e-takallum se
kya nahin hota
lamps light up and
fragrance in morning breeze
what can’t happen
with your beautiful eloquence
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1.6K
ab urdu kya hai
ek kothey ki tawaif
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?
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3.6K
ulfat mein baraabar hai
wafa ho ki jafa ho
har baat mein lazzat hai
agar dil mein mazaa ho
loyalty and tyranny
both are equals in love
when there is joy in the heart
every (spoken) word is delightful
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2.6K
yan lab pe lakh lakh
sukhan iztiraab mein
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
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2.7K
dekhna un ki gavaahi pe
yaqeen mat karna
aye jahaan sun le abhi
mera bayaan baaqi hai
don't place faith
in his testimony
for my statement
is yet to be heard
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2.5K
jo ghazal aaj tere
hijr mein likhi hai woh kal
kya khabar ahl-e-mohabbat ka
taraana ban jaaye
that poem written today
on separation from you
who knows...could become a song
for those in love tomorrow
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4.5K
kab woh sunti hai
kahaani meri
aur phir vo bhi
zabaani meri
when did she listen
to my sorry state
that too when i
narrated it myself
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3.2K
phool ki khushbu
hava ki chaap, sheeshe ki khanak
kaun si shai hai jo teri
khush-bayaani mein nahin
fragrance of flowers,
rustle of breeze, tinkling of glass
what is not there
in the beauty of your talk
Anonymous
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5.0K
arz-e-ahvaal ko
gila samjhe
kya kaha main ne
aap kya samjhe
describing my condition
sounds a complaint to you
i say one thing
you construe something else
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4.3K
suroor zikr se masti
bayaan se aayegi
woh naam loonga toh khushbu
zubaan se aayegi
intoxication comes with
pleasant thoughts narrated well
if i say that name
fragrance flows off the lips
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3.4K
jaadu hai ya tilism
tumhari zabaan mein
tum jhuuT kah rahe the
mujhe eitbaar tha
is it magic or spell
that's in what you say
you kept telling lies
and i kept believing
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1.9K
us ne gaali mujhe dee
ho ke itaab-aaluda
aur main saada…
use lutf-e-zabaani samjha
she had scolded me
with an angry tone
i, being simple, thought
it was delightfully eloquent
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4.7K
lahjaa ki jaise
subh ki khushbu azaan de
jii chaahta hai
main teri aawaaz chuum lu
your manner of inflection is like the
morning fragrance calling out to prayer
oh, my heart so desires
to kiss your voice
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4.9K
qaasid ke aate aate
khat ek aur likh rakhuun
main jaantaa huun
jo vo likhenge jawaab mein
while the messenger returns
i will keep another letter ready
for i know what
she would be writing in reply
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1.6K
hum na maanenge khamoshi hai
tamanna ka mizaaj
haan bhari bazm mein
woh bol na paayi hogi
i do not concede silence is
the temperament of desire
yes, maybe she couldn’t
speak out in a crowded gathering
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3.8K
hum labon se keh na paaye
un se haal-e-dil kabhi
aur woh samjhe nahin
ye khaamoshi kya cheez hai
i couldn’t get the words out,
telling her of my heart’s state
nor could she understand
what my silence meant
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yuun ‘abroo’ banaave
dil mein hazaar baaten
jab ruu-ba-ruu ho
tere guftaar bhool jaave
what, abroo, you think of
a thousand things to say in your heart
but when face-to-face
you don’t remember anything to say
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4.3K
yaa-rab, woh na samjhe hai
na samjhenge meri baat
de aur dil un ko
jo na de mujh ko zabaan aur
oh god, she doesn’t understand me
nor will she ever
either give her another heart
or give me more eloquence
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2.4K
'saif' andaaz-e-bayaan
rang badal deta hai
varna duniya mein
koi baat nai baat nahin
the style of narration
changes everything, ‘saif’
if not, in this world
there is nothing new to say
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2.5K
khulta kisi pe kyon
mere dil ka maamla
sheron ke intekhaab
ne ruswa kiya mujhe
why should my heart’s matters
be open for all to see
my selection of poetry
has brought me enough infamy
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2.9K
maangey allah se bas
itni dua hai rashid
main jo urdu mein
wasiyat likhoon, beta padh le
of god, rashid has
just this small prayer
when i write my will in urdu
my son can read it
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1.9K
hum parvarish-e-lauh-o-qalam
karte rahenge
jo dil pe guzarti hai raqam
karte rahenge
we will keep nurturing
the pen and the paper
we will continue to capture
that which flows through our heart
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2.5K
woh kare baat toh
har lafz se khushboo aaye
aisi boli wohi bole
jise urdu aaye
when she speaks, from every word
a delightful fragrance
she speaks like those
who know urdu
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5.0K
ghazal mein bandish-e-alfaaz
hi nahi kaafi
jigar ka khoon bhi chaahiye
kuch asar ke liye
just a string of words is
not enough to make a poem
you also need a drop
of your heart's blood for it to last
Anonymous
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4.1K
hum dard ka afsaana
duniya ko suna denge
har dil mein mohabbat ki
ek aag laga denge
i will make the world
listen to the tales of woe
in every heart i will
light a fire of love
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2.0K
khush aa gayi hai jahan ko
qalandari meri
wagarna sher mera kya hai
shaayari kya hai
my ecstasies and wanderings
have brought joy to the world
if not, what is my poem
of what worth is my poetry
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4.0K
maza aata agar guzri hui
baaton ka afsaana
kahin se tum bayaan karte
kahin se hum bayaan karte
it is such a delight
reliving the stories of the past
you narrate from one end
and i from the other
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2.8K
mustaqil bolta hi
rahta hoon
kitna khaamosh hoon
main andar se
i keep talking
constantly
but how silent
i am within
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3.4K
naala-e-bulbul-e-shaidaa
to suna hans hans kar
ab jigar thaam ke baiTho
meri baari aayi
the nightingale’s passionate lament
you heard and laughed it off
now hold your heart and listen
it is my turn now
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3.8K
maani na aayen dark mein
ghair-az-wajuud-e-lafz
aare daleel-e-raah-e-haqeeqat
majaaz hai
without word, meaning is not
within mind’s reach
certainly, abstraction is the
beacon in the path of truth
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4.4K
jis bazm mein tu naaz se guftaar
mein aawe
jaan kaalbad-e-soorat-e-deewar
mein aawe
in the gathering where you come
speaking with grace
life takes form
and appears all around
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1.7K
baat teri
suni naheen main ne
dhyaan mera
teri nazar par tha
what you said
i didn’t hear
my attention was
on your eyes
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4.9K
suna hai us ko bhi hai
sher-o-shaayari se shaghaf
so hum bhi mojaze apne
hunar ke dekhte hain
i hear that she is also
fond of couplets and poetry
so let me try impressing her
with the magic of my poetic skills
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4.4K
kuchh na kuchh
bolte raho hum se
chup rahoge to
log sun lenge
please do keep
saying something
if you remain silent
people will hear
silent, quiet
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2.5K
ye adaayen, ye ishaare
ye haseen qaul-o-qaraar
kitne aadaab ke parde
mein hai inkaar ki baat
these manners, these gestures
these beautiful words and promises
how a refusal is hidden
behind these layers of etiquette
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3.3K
avval to thoDi thoDi
chaahat thi darmiyaan mein
phir baat kehte
luknat aane lagi zabaan mein
at first, there was a
a little fondness between us
and then, i started to stutter
when i spoke to her
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2.8K
kya thi hamaari mohabbat
aur ab kya ho gayi hai
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
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2.2K
nahi alfaaz me nazaakat
mujhe urdu nahi aati
karu kaise mohabbat?
mujhe urdu nahi aati
no elegance in my words
as i don’t know urdu
how do i love?
if i don’t know urdu
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4.8K
sun ne waala koyi agar hota
kehte dil ki baaton ko
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
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1.8K
koi mila hi nahi jis se
haal-e-dil kehte
mila to rah gaye
lafzon ke intekhaab mein hum
never found one with whom
i could share matters of the heart
when i met someone
i was found searching for words
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4.2K
phir dekhiye
andaaz-e-gulafshaani-e-guftaar
rakh de koyi
paimaana-e-sahbaa mere aage
you watch
the style of my fun, flowery speech
after someone
places a glass of wine in front of me
mannerism, style
boasting, flowery speech
speech, speaking
cup, measure
wine
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4.0K
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