दिल में अब यूं तेरे भूले हुए (Dilme Ab Yuun Tere Bhoole Huye) -- Faiz Ahmed Faiz

[Urdu Couplet #41]

दिल में अब यूं तेरे भूले हुए ग़म आते हैं 

जैसे बिछड़े हुए काबे में सनम आते हैं 

Dilme ab yuun tere bhoole huye gam aate hain

Jaise bichade huye kaabe me sanam aate hain

Faiz Ahmed Faiz
(1911-1984)

ग़म (gam) = sorrow; काबा (kaabaa) = sacred Muslim pilgrim shrine; सनम (sanam) = beloved, idol (reference from 'the idol in old mecca')

[English Meaning]

In my heart now, your forgotten sorrows return

As a beloved (God) returns to the separated shrine

Notes:
The couplet is derived from a poem published in Faiz Ahmed Faiz's book "Nuskha Hai Wafa". The poet uses metaphorical analogy in the couplet by giving "the beloved" the place of God in a shrine. Metaphorically, the shrine can also be equated to poet's heart. This first couplet sets the tone of the theme covered in the entire poem, that is love, longing, sorrow and spiritual reflection of lost love. The poet builds an imagination so that the readers can understand the depth of the longing by describing the continuous return of the "forgotten sorrows" as if "God" returns in the most sacred shrine (Kaaba). Further, the poet also explains the piousness of his love and emotions by giving his beloved the place equivalent to God, while symbolically mentioning his own heart as shrine. Thus, the poet elevates his personal experience of loss and pain to a profoundly sacred spiritual experience.

तुम आये हो न शबे-इंतज़ार (Tum aaye ho na shab-e-intezaar) -- Faiz Ahmed Faiz

[Urdu Couplet #40]

तुम आये हो न शबे-इंतज़ार गुज़री है 

तलाश में है सहर, बार-बार गुज़री है

Tum aaye ho na shab-e-intezaar guzri hai 

Talash me hai sahar, baar-baar guzri hai

Faiz Ahmed Faiz
(1911-1984)

शब (shab) = night; शबे-इंतज़ार (shab-e-intezaar) = the night of awaiting; तलाश (talash) = search; सहर (sahar) = morning

[English Meaning]
Neither you came nor did this night of awaiting has passed
In search (of you), the dawn has passed by again and again

Notes:
In this couplet, the poet narrates pathos of the lover who is waiting indefinitely for his beloved. The lover spends his night longing for his beloved and spends his day searching for her. He keeps waiting but neither the night seems to end nor does his beloved comes back. In the first line, the poet appears to talk of one night but in the second line, his reference "baar baar guzri hai" reveals that the poet (the lover) has been pining for his beloved for several days. It also accentuates his longing and distress.

दोनों जहान तेरी मोहब्बत (Dono Jahaan Teri Mohabbat) -- Faiz Ahmed Faiz

[Urdu Couplet #39]

दोनों जहान तेरी मोहब्बत में हार के 

वो जा रहा है कोई शबे-ग़म गुज़ार के 

Dono jahaan teri mohabbat me haar ke

Wo ja raha hai koi shab-e-gam guzaar ke

Faiz Ahmed Faiz
(1911-1984)

जहान (jahaan) = world; दोनों जहान (dono jahaan) = both the worlds, i.e. the earth and the heaven; मोहब्बत (mohabbat) = love; हारना (haarna) = lose; शब (shab) = night; शबे-ग़म  (shab-e-gam) = sorrowful night; गुज़ारना (guzaarna) = spend

[English Meaning]
After losing both the worlds in your love
Look someone's going after spending a sorrowful night

Notes:

The couplet has the opening lines of the poem "Dono jahaan teri mohabbat me haar ke" from the book "Nuskha Hai Wafa" by Faiz Ahmed Faiz. In the poem, the poet laments the separation from his beloved and describes the state of his grief-stricken heart. In this couplet, the poet highlights that inspite of sacrificing everything for love, he had to suffer the pain of separation. 

The poet uses analogical terms to emphasize his expressions. The first analogical term is "dono jahaan" (both the worlds), which means both the earth and the heaven. The term "earth and heaven" includes everything a person can think of before and after life. Thus, the poet uses hyperbolic expression to explain the extent of sacrifice he did for love. 

In the second phrase, the word "shab-e-gam" can be considered as an analogy for sorrow due to hopelessness. Here, night can have two meanings - literal and symbolic. In the literal sense, the phrase means "someone is sadly passing by after the night when he separated from his beloved". In a symbolic way, it points to the night (i.e. darkness, sadness, hopelessness) that follows after separation. 

By the third person usage in the second phrase, the poet adds a generalization to the state of any lover who suffers heart break. It can also mean that the poet is referring himself as a stranger whose plight has changed him beyond recognition. Hence, the poet says "koi" (someone).

गुलों में रंग भरे (Gulonme Rang Bhare) -- Faiz Ahmed Faiz

[Urdu Couplet #38]

गुलों में रंग भरे बादे-नौबहार चले 

चले भी आओ की गुलशन का कारोबार चले 

Gulonme rang bhare baade-naubahaar chale

Chale bhi aao ki gulshan ka karobaar chale

Faiz Ahmed Faiz
(1911-1984)

गुल (gul) = flower; रंग (rang) = colour; बादे-नौबहार (baade-naubahaar) = The air of a new spring (season); गुलशन (gulshan) = garden; कारोबार (karobaar) = business, affair, trade

[English Meaning]

Filling the colour in flowers, the air of a new spring passes by

You come so that the garden can continue with its business (of blooming)

or

The air of the new spring passes by giving the flowers their colour

(Atleast now) you come so that the garden can keep blooming

Notes:
The couplet is an ardent request of a lover to his beloved to come to meet him. The couplet describes the state of a lover who is waiting for his beloved to enjoy the beautiful spring together. To emphasize the lover's condition, the poet uses the exaggeration by using an example of garden. By saying that "you come so that the garden can continue to bloom", the poet establishes the beloved's importance in his (lover's) life. The lines also convey that without the beloved, spring is not spring and even the blooming garden holds no charm.

Symbolically, the couplet can also mean that the lover's life is at halt without his beloved. Here, the garden means the lover's life, spring means youth which adds colours to the desires (related to the romantic feelings), wherein desires are depicted by flowers.

आए तो यूं कि जैसे (Aaye To Yun Ki Jaise) -- Faiz Ahmed Faiz

[Urdu Couplet #37]

आए तो यूं कि जैसे हमेशा थे मेहरबां 

भूले तो यूं की गोया कभी आशना न थे 

Aaye to yun ki jaise hamesha the mehrbaan

Bhoole to yun ki goyaa kabhi aashnaa na the

Faiz Ahmed Faiz (1911-1984)

हमेशा (hamesha) = always; मेहरबां (mehrbaan) = kind (or someone who favours); गोया (goyaa) = as if; आशना (Aashnaa) = acquaintance

[English Meaning]

(You) came as if (you) always favoured (me)

(You) forgot as if there was never an acquaintance (between us)

Notes:

In the couplet, Faiz uses sarcasm to put forth the feeling of a distraught lover, who is deeply hurt by the callousness of his beloved. The poet conveys his message in first person and in a way says, "When you came in my life, you made me feel I am the special one but when you left, you forgot me as if you don't even know me." Here, the context of beloved can also be applied to close friends and relatives.

तेरे दस्ते-सितम का (Tere Dast-e-Sitam Ka) -- Faiz Ahmed Faiz

[Urdu Couplet #36]

तेरे दस्ते-सितम का अज्ज़ नहीं 

दिल ही काफ़िर था जिसने आह न की 

Tere dast-e-sitam ka ajj nahi

Dil hi kaafir tha jisne aah na ki

Faiz Ahmed Faiz
(1911-1984)

दस्ते-सितम (dast-e-sitam) =  hand of tyranny (or tyrannical hand); अज्ज़ (ajj) = humility, modesty, civility; काफ़िर (kaafir) = unbeliever, non-believer (the word is derived from the reference in Quran for anyone who doesn't believe in Allah or God); आह (aah) = sigh, moan or painful cry

[English Meaning]

Your hand of tyranny (tyrannical hand) knows no humility

(yet my) heart, an ardent lover, didn't let out a sigh

Notes:
In the couplet, the poet highlights that in spite of his lover's immodest tyrannical behaviour towards him, his love-struck heart believed in nothing else but love and bore the torture without letting out a sigh.

Here, the word 'kaafir' is used in a slightly different context where it can mean 'an ardent lover who believes in nothing but the feeling of being in love in spite of the pain'. The regular political or religious usage of the word 'kaafir' is to refer a non-Muslim who doesn't follow Quran or Allah.

इलाही दुनियामें और कुछ दिन (Illahi Duniyame Aur Kuch Din) -- Bismil Saeedi

[Urdu Couplet #35]

इलाही दुनियामें और कुछ दिन अभी क़यामत न आने पाये 

तेरे बनाये हुए बशरको अभी मैं इन्साँ बना रहा हूँ 

Illahi duniyame aur kuch din abhi qayamat na aane paaye

Tere banaye huye basharko abhi mein insaan bana raha hun

Bismil Saeedi (1901-1977)

इलाही (illahi) = God; क़यामत (qayamat) = doomsday, resurrection; बशर (bashar) = man; इन्साँ (insaan) = human; अभी (abhi) = at present

[English Meaning]

God! In the world, for few more days, the doomsday should not come

The man you created, I am making him a human at present

or

God! Let not the world's doomsday come for few more days

At present, I am making your creation 'man' a human

Notes:
In the couplet, the poet highlights his effort in spreading humanity. The underlying meaning also suggests that God created man but our efforts are needed to become a human (some one who practises humanity) else the doomsday is not far. Thus, in the couplet, the poet is praying to the God to delay resurrection (or doomsday) and give more time (or a chance) because he (the poet) is trying to make the people more humane. The couplet also highlights the poet's pathos on lack of humanity in the world created by the God and his realisation that doomsday is nothing but a world with people without humanity.

The couplet can also be explained from another view point where the poet is referring to himself as the बशर (man). And he is praying to the God to delay the "doomsday" (for the man - the poet) because he is trying to transform himself into a true human (someone who knows/practices humanity).

About the Poet
Bismil Saeedi (बिस्मिल सईदी) was the twentieth century poet. He expressed traditional topics in a new style apt for his era. Primarily, he was a ghazal writer. His native was Tonk the state of Rajasthan while he was settled in Delhi. Most of the poets who hailed from Tonk, followed Momin's style of poetry writing and Bismil Saeedi was no exception to this tradition. Read more

हर मज़हब का तत (Har Majhab ka Tat) -- Allama Iqbal

[Urdu Couplet #32]

जान जाये हाथ से जाये न सत।

है यही इक बात हर मज़हब का तत।

Jaan jaye haath se jaye na Sat

Hai yahi ikk baat har majhab ka Tat

Allama Muhammed Iqbal
(1877-1938)

जान (jaan) = life;  सत (Sat) = truth, reality (here, it can 'beliefs' - reality believed by each religion); मज़हब (majhab) = religion; तत (Tat) = supreme

[English Meaning]

Even if life is lost, the hand should not let go of the beliefs

This is the only thing in every religion supreme

or

Even at the cost of life, one should not let go of the beliefs 

This is the only supreme thought in every religion

Notes: This is a satirical remark of the poet on all religions. In this, he makes it evident that the religions don't care for life. For them their beliefs have become their God for whom they will give or take life. It can be the poet's take on the communal conflicts during his time.

हर अजनबी हमें महरम (Har Ajnabi Hame Mahram) -- Faiz Ahmed Faiz

[Urdu Couplet #31]

हर अजनबी हमें महरम दिखाई देता है 

जो अब भी तेरी गली से गुजरने लगते है 

Har ajnabi hame mahram dikhayi deta hai

Jo ab bhi teri gali se gujarne lagte hai

Faiz Ahmed Faiz
(1911-1984)

अजनबी (ajnabi) = stranger; गली (gali) = lane or alley; गुजरना (gujarna) = to pass; महरम (mahram) = confidant, close relative or friend (who is allowed to escort a woman or visit her house anytime) 

[Notes about the word: Mahram are usually the ones with whom marriage is prohibited. In early days and in orthodox muslim families, women use to live in purdah before outsiders (gayr) especially men. Thus, not everyone was allowed to visit her room or meet her without purdah.]

[English Meaning]

Every stranger appears to me a confidant (of yours)

When I still pass through your lane (means, the lane near your house)

जो दिल तेरे ग़म का निशाना (Jo Dil Tere Gam ka Nishana) -- Asrar ul Haq Majaz

[Urdu Couplet #30]

जो दिल तेरे ग़म का निशाना भी है 

क़तीले-जफ़ाएं-ज़माना भी है 

Jo dil tere gam ka nishana bhi hai

Qatiil-e-jafaa-e-zamana bhi hai

Asrar ul Haq Majaz

(1911-1955)

ग़म (gam) = sorrow; निशाना (nishana) = target; क़तील (qatiil) = killed; ज़माना (zamana) = world; क़तीले-जफ़ाएं-ज़माना (  ) = troubled by the atrocities of the world

[English Meaning]

The heart that is your target for sorrow

Is also troubled by the atrocities of the world

It can also mean:

The heart that gets pain from you

Is tortured even by the cruel world

About the Poet
असरारुलहक़ मजाज़ Asrar ul Haq Majaz popularly known as Majaz was a revolutionary romantic poet of his time. The central theme in many of his poems is pain and pathos of a lover. Read More

आये उश्शाक़ गये वादा-ए-फ़र्दा (Aaye Ushshaaq Gaye Vaada-e-Fardaa) -- Allama Muhammad Iqbal

[Urdu Couplet #29]

आये उश्शाक़ गये वादा-ए-फ़र्दा लेकर 

अब उन्हें ढूंढ चिराग़े-रूखे-ज़ेबा लेकर 

Aaye ushshaaq gaye vaada-e-fardaa lekar

Ab unhe dhondh chiraage-rukhe-zebaa lekar 

Allama Muhammad Iqbal
(1877 - 1938)

उश्शाक़ (ushshaaq) = lovers; वादा (vaada) = promise; वादा-ए-फ़र्दा (vaada-e-fardaa) = promise to meet again (the word is usually used in the reference where the promises which are unfulfilled); ढूंढ (dhondh) = search; चिराग  (chiraag) = lamp; ज़ेबा (zebaa) = beautiful; चिराग़े-रूखे-ज़ेबा (chiraage-rukhe-zebaa) = light of the beautiful face

[English Meaning]

Lovers came and left making promises to meet again

Now go and search them in the light of your beautiful face

Notes: The couplet is from Iqbal's poem शिकवा Shikvaa. The central theme of the poem is the complaint of a distraught lover, who has been shunned by a disloyal beloved. The beautiful beloved's reason for rejecting him is the attention that she gets from other lovers. After expressing his resentment, the poet (or the distraught lover) uses sarcasm to mock his beloved for choosing temporary admirers over him. He ridicules her by saying her admirers come to spend time with her (a night with her) and in the morning they leave forever making a fake promise to return. The second sentence in the couplet is written on the lines of the idiom 'चिराग लेकर ढूंढना' 'chiraag lekar dhondh na' which means to search for something with great difficulty (in the dark). The poet uses the analogy between the chiraag (lamp) and his beloved's beautiful face to pass another caustic remark in the last line of this couplet. 

About the Poet

अलामा मुहम्मद इक़बाल Allama Muhammad Iqbal (popularly known only as Iqbal) is one of the most celebrated Urdu poets of all time. He was a prominent voice in the progressive writer's movement in pre-partition India. His contribution was not just in poetry but also in shaping the pre-partition political thought both in India and Pakistan. Apart from Urdu poetry, he is credited for writing the patriotic song 'सारे जहाँ से अच्छा हिन्दोस्तान हमारा' 'Sare Jahan se Accha Hindostan Hamara'. Read More

मेरी क़िस्मत से खेलने वाले (Meri Kismat Se Khelne Wale) - Faiz Ahmed Faiz

[Urdu Couplet #26]

मेरी क़िस्मत से खेलने वाले 

मुझको क़िस्मत से बेख़बर कर दे 

Meri kismat se khelne wale

Mujhko kismat se bekhabar kar de

Faiz Ahmed Faiz
(1911 - 1984)

क़िस्मत (kismat) = destiny, fate; खेलना (khelna) = to play; बेख़बर (bekhabar) = ignorant

[English Meaning]

The one who is playing with my destiny

[You] Make me ignorant about my destiny

About the Poet

फ़ैज़ अहमद फ़ैज़ Faiz Ahmed Faiz is one of the most prominent and influential Urdu poet. Read More...

मेहरबानी को मुहब्बत नहीं कहते (Meherbani Ko Muhabbat Nahi Kehte) -- Firaq Gorakhpuri

[Urdu Couplet #14]

मेहरबानी को मुहब्बत नहीं कहते ऐ दोस्त 

आह मुझसे तेरी रंजिश-ए-बेजा भी नहीं 

Meherbani ko muhabbat nahi kehte ye dost

Aah mujhse teri ranjish-e-beza bhi nahi

Firaq Gorakhpuri
(1896-1982)

मेहरबानी (meherbani) = favour, मुहब्बत (muhabbat) = love, रंजिश (ranjish) = hatred, बेजा (beza) = wrong

[English Meaning]

Favour is not called love my friend

Ah! Your hatred for me is not wrong either

About the Poet
Firaq Gorakhpuri (real name Raghupati Sahay) was one of the noted contemporary Urdu poets. Read more

सियाह रात (Siyah Raat) -- Shahryar

[Urdu Couplet #12]

सियाह रात नही लेती नाम ढलने का 

यही तो वक़्त है सूरज तेरे निकलने का

Siyah raat nahi leti naam dhalne ka

Yahi to waqt hai suraj tere nikalne ka 

सियाह (siyah) = dark

[English Meaning]

The dark night is not ready to fade

O, Sun! This is the time for you to come

About the Poet

Akhlaq Mohammad Khan alias 'Shahryar' was a prominent modern Urdu poet and lyricist. One of his acclaimed works as a lyricist are the songs of Hindi film 'Umraon Jaan'. Read more...

मैं बताऊँ फ़र्क़ नासेह (Mein Bataun Fark Naseh) -- Shakeel Badayuni

[Urdu Couplet #11]

मैं बताऊँ फ़र्क़ नासेह जो है मुझमें ओर तुझमें 

मिरि ज़िंदगी तलातुम तिरि ज़िंदगी किनारा

Mein bataun fark naseh jo hai mujhme aur tujhme

Meri zindagi talatum teri zindagi kinara

नासेह (naseh) = Advisor, तलातुम (talatum) = stormy (sea) wave(s), किनारा (kinara) =  seashore

[English Meaning]

I will tell you the difference, Advisor, between me and you

My life is a stormy wave, your life is a seashore

The meaning can also be written as:

O, Advisor! I will tell you the difference between you and me

My life is a stormy wave, your life is a seashore

About the Poet
Shakeel Badayuni was a renowned Urdu poet and an acclaimed lyricist during the Golden Era of Hindi Cinema (Bollywood). Read More 

तेग़ मुंसिफ हो जहां (Tegh munsif ho jahaan) -- Ali Sardar Jafri

[Urdu Couplet #01]

तेग़ मुंसिफ हो जहां दारोरसँ हो शाहिद 

बेगुन्हा कौन है उस शहरमें क़ातिल के सिवा

Tegh munsif ho jahaan daar-o-rasan ho shaahid

Begunaah kaun hai uss shahar me qaatil ke siva

[Tegh = sword; munsif = judje; daar-o-rasan = gallows and noose; shaahid = witness]

[English Translation]

Where sword is the judge, gallows and noose are the witnesses

In such a city, who is innocent except the murderer

दुनिया जिसे कहते हैं (Duniya Jise Kehte Hai) -- by Nida Fazli

[Devenagri Script]
दुनिया जिसे कहते हैं जादू का खिलौना है 
मिल जाये तो मिट्टी है खो जाये तो सोना है

अच्छा-सा कोई मौसम तन्हा-सा कोई आलम 
हर वक़्त का रोना तो बेकार का रोना है

बरसात का बादल तो दीवाना है क्या जाने 
किस राह से बचना है किस छत को भिगोना है

ग़म हो कि ख़ुशी दोनों कुछ देर के साथी हैं 
फिर रस्ता ही रस्ता है हँसना है न रोना है

ये वक्त जो तेरा है, ये वक्त जो मेरा है
हर गाम पर पहरा है, फिर भी इसे खोना है

आवारा मिज़ाजी ने फैला दिया आंगन को 
आकाश की चादर है धरती का बिछौना है 

[Roman Alphabet]
Duniya jise kehte hai, jaado ka khilona hai
Mil jaaye to mitti hai, kho jaaye to sona hai

Achha sa koi mausam, tanha sa koi aalam
Har waqt ka rona to, bekaar ka rona hai

Barsaat ka baadal to deewana hai kya jaane
Kis raah se bachna hai, kis chhat ko bhigona hai

Gham ho ke khushi dono kuch der ke saathi hai
Phir rasta hi rasta hai, hasna hai na rona hai

Ye waqt jo tera hai, ye waqt jo mera hai
Har gaam par pehra hai, phir bhi ise khona hai

Aawara mijaji ne phela diya aangan ko
Aakash ki chaadar hai, dharti ka bichona hai

[English Translation]
What we call as world is a magical toy
If found it is earthen, if lost it is golden

You need a good season and some quite moments
Complaining every moment is a futile complain

Monsoon cloud is crazy what does it know
which road to skip, which roof to drench

Whether it is pain or joy, both are companions for awhile
Later it is just the long route; no laughter, no tears

This time is neither your nor mine
Every post is guarded yet the time will be lost

The wanderer has spread the courtyard
Sky is the blanket, earth is the bed

[Musical Versions]
Jagjit and Chitra Singh