Open-Ended Couplets (Romanized)
aa mil hamseh e khuda ke parwaane
kuch raqib ko bujhi shama ka dhokha denh
***
na puchch hamseh ke likheh nahin kyon khat tum ko
na puchch hamseh likheh thhey kai kyon khat khud ko
yaan puchch likheh thhey kitneh yoon khat khud ko
***
yaadein sataati hain haamenh ik dost ki sadaa
sirf dost hi na rahi woh yeh unko nahi hai pata
***
saharaon meh aks aks naqaab tumhaara
qatroon meh taraasha wa'ada-e-noor tilism
rah roh hoga karaavan guzarta ruka
bimar e ishq e tunisi majnoon hum zamaan hua
***
agar woh kafir hai toh uski shakl meri ammi si kyon hai agar woh khuda khilaf hai toh unki aankhon meh meri ammi sa noor kya hai agar woh paikar parast hai to uski darkhwast qabool e khuda kyon hai
***
khiraaj-e-khusrau-e-maasoom
lagayeen busseh aateshen itraan woh hai khudaee jahaan banaee yeh dil hai suzaan jis roz na aayi aur jis din aaye howen khabidaan
yeh kya qayamat furqat phir fitrat
ta aakhir-e-qayinaat na sovven akhiyaan
***
yun hi unki khilti tavassum ki yaaden sataati hain hamenh (tavassum--smile)
jaaneh kaun rishteh meh ik nazar seh bun jaati hain hamenh (bun--weave)
***
woh hotin hawwwan aur hum aadam (hawwwan--Eve, aadam--Adam as in the first human being with no parents) na hoteh koi aziz na unkeh ghum ka ghum (aziz--relatives)
***
gulistaan meh aah dafan hai (gulistaan--flower garden or rose garden) faqat mazaar-e-mannat baaqi hai (faqat--only, mazaar-e-mannat--the gravestone of my yearning) chand yaadein bunni thhi ik din (bunni--were woven) khak-e-girift saket qafan hai (in the dust is captured the silent coffin)
***
ham aazurdah aur woh aasoodah (aazurdah--annoyed, dejected; aasoodah--satisfied) aur khof ke ghaRi zud khatm na ho (and worried that this moment may not end too soon)
***
darbar e khuda meh nahi pesh aaten hain maasoom (in the palaces of God, innocents/children never show up nor sit) ke kahi kissi haqdaar ki gunaah-e-ja na talab lenh (lest they steal a sinner's place worthy of it)
***
roz b roz na sahi baar haftaaneh baaz waqt khat likhteh rehana (if not daily, sometimes, regularly, weekly keep writing) kufr meh bandish-e-rishton se jannat to nahi pur tasawwur hi sahi (in strange lands, the chain of relationships doesn't allow paradise but gives at least the imagination for it)
***
woh ikhlaas e aas aashna hi toh ho lekin
yeh nahaaseeli raat woh khaab e firaaq
yeh gum sum aankh chup CHuppi namaaz
muntaazir hain kiss ke farmaan e zafar
kiss roz koh e qashang munzaraa hongi
sahar in chasm menh zarra zarra hongi
yeh haath jo haazir hain har iqtizaa'
in dast e qafas ko kab rooh e janaab hongi
***
Yeh tabib ka tavajju aur bala e jaan raqeeb
Henh Zindaan e Shafa meh parwaz parast bashindeh saareh
***
duniya ka khatra koi baat nahi pur sawaalon ke khatreh woh bhi khatoun seh jinse ummeed ho...khair hai shayad bach jaayen
kuch munzareh tasawwur ke chashmon seh nazar hotenh hai unnhen aankhon ki zaroorat nahi purhti
***
miTti hai aaj miTTi uss miti ki
jis roz seh rokeh hain yenh toofan
aankhen jo thhi thhami in aansoou
dhul ke nikhreh hai ek taak-e-nayaab
the soil of the date is erased
of the day that contained a storm
holding back welled eyes; emerging
clean for and from it a new form
***
raat jo kaTti nahin iss veeran soona
raat jo kaTti nahin iss ranj o
***
hisaar mein hashmat haafiz hai
hiddat-e-haqeeqat seh khaalis hai
In the fortress, the dignity and pomp is safe and protected
From the fury of truth, it is free and pure…
***
gar khijaalat-e-khanumhaa ki shinaas nahi rakhteh
khata-e-khaam-e-mardom kahlaaye jaate ho
If you do not possess codes to interpret the demureness of ladies
Then you will be called the mistake of inexperienced men (by men)
Gar khijaalat-e-khanumhaa na mi shinaasi
Unna khata-e-khaama-e-mardom mi guyand
***
haraarat-e-hizaaqat haqeeqat na hui
himaayat-e-hidaayat hurriyat na hui
The fervor of her intelligence could not be manifest
Her patronage of the Written Word could not make her free
***
hijaab-e-hijraan menh aayeh kya hijaab oorhreh
hairaan hoon hayaat-e-hayaa ke had o hosaleh pur
On the night of separation, why do (did) you come wearing a veil (of modesty)
I am surprised/vexed at the life modesty & shame has, and the boldness in its limits
***
mujh puur e huzn ka tumko chahnaa hads e hirs hooga
tumhaari hazrat e husooli tumhaari hasrat e 'azaab hoogi
A full of grief fellow like me coveting you would be an innovation in ambition
Your acquisition of your dignity (through my love) will for you be the onset of your longing for punishment
***
khidmat e khuda cheez kharaab toh nahi
khurram khareedaari e khazaan toh nahi
to be in service of God isn't such a bad thing, for
happiness is not a purchase(r) of old age or decay
(November 26, 2005)
***
yeh khushk khat kya khatta'a hui hamseh
khatra e khutbah thha khalish ka khumaar thha
khwahish khanjar ki thhi, ek khush khayal bhi thha
yeh kaise khastah khizaanah ravaa(n) huey khud hamseh
these cold, dry loveless letters what slight did I commit
was afraid and awaiting a sermon
or an intoxication of pain, anxiety
I was even wishing your missive a dagger be;
went further and dreamed it might be a happy one
what, how did I send for these sheen-less treasures as replies
***
khursheed o khiyabaan seh khushtareen
hai khalish-e-khanjar-e-daraan-e-yaar
more pleasant than the sun
and the flower-garden
is the prick, pain of the daggers
at the doors of the beloved (s)
***
khutbah seh khoff hai khutbah khoon hai, khair
khud hi khilaafi karo phir khud aas e khalaas
so you are afraid of a sermon, you call it a murder, fine,
yourself oppose it first, then expect deliverance from it ?
***
zer e zeenat o zeebaayee zholeedah
zan e zharf o zhaalah e zhiyaan hoon
under the beauty and adorn that is both disheveled and intricate
I am a penetrating mind and a terrible hailstorm of a Madamé.
***
yeh abba ka t'aanaa ki flaana haasil e zinna o zeenat
yeh hamara kabhi khud ko, kabhi unko dabi gaali dena
aur abba ki mohabbat o khush-dilli ki yaad ab sharm o naraaz o bad ahsaasi
aur phir iss waazheh seh nazar andaazi lekin ahd ki khud ki nasl ko na kahengeh
you know how father taunts so and so has achieved beauty and power
how then we to ourselves, sometimes to him, quietly pronounce curses
filled now with the memories of his love and warm-heartedness, full of guilt
how still we forgave this indentation on our heart but promised to not pass it (on).
(Between 26th and 27th November, 2005)
***
woh zaar e zakhm unka woh zehmat e zabaan
woh pinjar e zar menh mera paimaana zor hona
those wishes from the weeping garden of desired wounds
those troubles and pains of language, speech, expression;
in this cage of gold and care,
my world, the world, compels itself
***
ziyaarat e Afghan seh pinhaar! Pinhaar!
Zaahir ho pinhaan zehr o ghubaar kidhar
A pilgrimage to Afghanistan,
never, by no means, beware
For if fog and mist of hidden feign clears,
then, from then, there, where?
***
yeh roz roz ke rozeh roshan e rooh toh kareh hai
lekin intazaar e lab e zeeba eid hi aslan peT bhareh hai
these daily ritual of fasting surely throws a light on the soul
but it is only the wait for lips
of the beautiful
eid that silences the stomach
chamaan – e – mohabbat
bagh e ishq
(November 27, 2005)
***
ham saahir e saahil hain koi aashiq e subuk nahin
behr ko saaz sahar ko sajda e shama'a karaa denh
sabab na ho sukhan saazish ka gar saaqee
sitam ka samaan bahot hai sar e raah karvaa denh
I am a magician of the(se) shores
not am I to be thought as a light lover
to the oceans and waves, concord I command
to the dawn, bow I say, to the flicker of your candle light
yet o wine bearer, listen, if you cannot find reasons for word play
pour, pour heartily for there is no lack of the stuff of her stonyness
o my dear cup passer, cup bearer, cup filler, I cannot bear
tend to me, stir me, bid me, and get me on the road to somewhere
***
mohabbat e javaanaan
yeh soz o sar taabi sukoot sih sar bastah saans
har safar seh pehleh saktah suneh hai suroor e saaz
that love from a youthful day
This burning passion this onset of rebellion, these silent, secret sighs
This trance before each (family) trip, listening to joy in music (from afar)
***
'aaqibat men sun 'azaan mehkadeh e khuda men ja milleh
tavallud e dukkam men 'abd ko arsh e wafaa sunnenh
In the end of their life
hearing the muezzin
giving the call (to prayer)
they (the drunks) met up
in the tavern of The One
They heard that the patrons
of The One
will receive
faithful, heavenly spirits
in their next rounds (They heard that the patrons of that bar will receive heavenly drinks in the next round )
(November 30, 2005)
***
aaj roz 'ibaarat e 'aam hai ya 'ibaarat e 'aalee
kitaab khoje kalaam hai dil o dimaagh khalee
Is today the day for an ordinary one or the day for a special verse
My notebook searches, demands poetry; my heart and mind is but empty
***
likhtaa hoon 'ishrat ke liyee 'ibrat na do
shikvah hoon lizzat ke liyee mohbat na do
I write for mirth and society, do not warn me
I am a complaint for my own pleasure, do not love me (for it)
***
koi 'aadil laazim na hua
koi 'aashiq 'aazim na hua
no just and righteous were needed there
no resolute lover was present/contesting there
***
woh 'ibaadat kareenh aap 'ibaarat
unhe aap 'abas kahenh aur woh aap
He does his prayers you do your composition(s)
you call him, it a waste; he saves your indiscretions
***
zaahir iss qadar kar zaalim keh tarz e bayaan hi menh na marenh
fahmeedan seh navisogeh baahar toh teree taarikh kaise likhenh
o poet, express yourself in such a way that we don't just die in your diction
if you write outside the scope of understanding, how will we write your history
(a variation)
zaahir iss tarh kar zaalim ki andaaz e giriyeh hi pe na marenh
kabhi tarz e taraqqi toh kabhi zarf e zafar bhi aasaan kar
express yourself in such a way o tormentor
that we don't just die in your tearful diction
while us in manners of success at times
and wits of victory too;
ease those moments for us sometimes too.
***
iss dafa'a dafan kar do
dushnaami se sitam kar do
please bury me forever this one time
betray not me, invective this one time
***
miyaan e dilaan deewaar na rahe
dar dozd e dil raaz e ulfat na rahe
between hearts may no walls ever appear
in the pockets of heart-thieves
may no secrets of untold love be found
***
yeh kaisi dil doz kabar ki hai
yeh kaisi dil soz khabar di hai
O what heart-piercing(s) I have just buried
O what heartbreaking news to me you have just carried
***
diqqat nahi hai dil rubaa insaan ho tum
jaanta hoon phir kyon pareshaan ho tum
you don't have troubles of lone
I know you are a darling (wo)man
Yet I do not and still I in a way I do
Know what ails you into a bursting band
***
hastee ashiyaa se hazaar hoshiyaar
Halaak e Huma sarkaar hamaari hai
Beware you easy going lives of existence
Mine is a government that kills even
the bird that shadowed it in
***
o saahib e aalam tujhe taqdeer kya lafzaateh
qaatil e maasoom tasveer-e-tavallud kya dikhaateh
O Prince of the World of what use
would wording my fate have been
O lifter of daily skirt-shame of what use
would waving our babe have been
***
mehram ko mehfil meh miT aaneh ki minnat to bahot ki
pur na mehfil saji na mehram aaya na mehkashi hui na hi murham mil payaa
(A Variation:
mehram ko mehfil menh aaneh ki minnat toh bahot ki
na mehkashi na marham, bus mahrum hi mahrum chun maajhi hai gom)
I pleaded and pleaded
With my beloved
To join the waking
Of the dying drive
But my love didn't live
To perch pergolas
None downed any drinks
Nor stakes followed
***
chhoR do unhe tanhaa dil yehi pukaareh
kaT lunga yeh lamba safar apneh hi sahaareh
let her be (with herself) my heart commands
for I can and will this long road tread
with support instead
from my stead
***
dil-e-maasoom teri soorat lakeeron meh kyaa bayaan karte
saahil-e-samandar teri sarhad katron meh kyaa nishaan karte
Heathen heart
how would I read your face, your fate
In lines on and of your hands
Sacred Seashore
how would I stake your limits, your points of stay
In sands always gathering, shifting, crying
***
kahtaa hai zameer hamaaraa keh ik din hum bhi
zikr hongeh tareekh ke ahm darbaaroon menh hum bhi
qaed lab-e-shaadaan ke sukhan khaanoon menh hum
fikr hongeh gustakh ahd o sitam hamareh kum bhi
Voice of the insides awakens me today as yesterday
Of days and nights of history's future leafs
Yet unwritten, of mentions in its halls, walls
Of discussions of promises and betrayals, of and off him
Of life his words will get, on silent lips,
in subways, folks smiling, sideways
***
aa mil hamseh e khuda ke parwaane
kuch raqib ko bujhi shama ka dhokha denh
Come meet me o firefly of the heavens
Let us deceive the rival's heart
Let us pretend awakening
Let us surprise surprise
***
na puchch hamseh ke likheh nahin kyon khat tum ko
na puchch hamseh likheh thhey kai kyon khat khud ko
yaan puchch likheh thhey kitneh yoon khat khud ko
May 9, 2006
Typed on and after this date though written much earlier (in the early 90s)
***
milleh theh saal e nau purr gharb menh woh mujhe jaanta thah khud ko magar khuda tab milla mujhe on the eve of the new year in a land away when her I met I did know myself but divinity was only revealed to me then
***
jissseh tark dafaa-tan haseeb thha ussseh wasl e lab haan naseeb hai jissseh shab guzaari ka khoff thha ab talaashey phir woh adeeb hai
The one who reckoned with the suddenness of abandonment often
Has now the great fortune of love-making with the lips of beloveds
The one who had fears of how and where to spend the night
now searches for the same literateur that he lonesome loved
***
jo na thha kuch kabhi na umeed thha
woh banney aaj qaum e shafeeq hai
jisseh dekh tars or taras uThThha
chand o mah o najm ab raqeeb hain
He who was nothing nor had hope of anything
is today the dispenser of kindness to his people
He, seeing whom the ones would fill with fear or pity
is now the envy and enemy of the moon and the stars
