aah ko chahiye ek umr asar hote tak
kaun jita hai teri zulf ke sar hote tak
a prayer needs a lifetime, an answer to obtain
who can live until the time that you decide to deign
ghalib laments the disparity between the brevity of human life and the time required to win a beloved's heart. while a plea for love might eventually be heard, life is too short to wait for that moment. the 'conquering of tresses' metaphorically refers to untangling the complexities of the relationship, a task that outlasts the lover's life.
aa andalib mil ke karen aah-o-zariyan
tu hae gul pukar main chillaun hae dil
in one voice, o nightingale, the heavens let us rent
you cry out for the flowers and, i for mine heart lament
aah jo dil se nikali jaegi
kya samajhte ho ki khali jaegi
those sighs that emerge from this heart so fiiled with pain
do you truly think unanswered these will now remain?
hum ne hans hans ke teri bazm mein ai paikar-e-naz
kitni aahon ko chhupaya hai tujhe kya malum
kuchh dard ki shiddat hai kuchh pas-e-mohabbat hai
hum aah to karte hain fariyaad nahin karte
aadat ke ba'd dard bhi dene laga maza
hans hans ke aah aah kiye ja raha hun main
meri aah ka tum asar dekh lena
wo aaenge thame jigar dekh lena
zabt karta hun to ghutta hai qafas mein mera dam
aah karta hun to sayyaad khafa hota hai
dard-e-dil kitna pasand aaya use
main ne jab ki aah us ne wah ki
ek aisa bhi waqt hota hai
muskurahat bhi aah hoti hai
wo kaun tha wo kahan ka tha kya hua tha use
suna hai aaj koi shakhs mar gaya yaro
dil par chot padi hai tab to aah labon tak aai hai
yun hi chhan se bol uthna to shishe ka dastur nahin
kitab-e-ishq mein har aah ek aayat hai
par aansuon ko huruf-e-muqattiat samajh
dard ulfat ka na ho to zindagi ka kya maza
aah-o-zari zindagi hai be-qarari zindagi
zabt dekho udhar nigah na ki
mar gae marte marte aah na ki
aah! kal tak wo nawazish! aaj itni be-rukhi
kuchh to nisbat chahiye anjam ko aaghaz se
idhar se bhi hai siwa kuchh udhar ki majburi
ki hum ne aah to ki un se aah bhi na hui
wo mazi jo hai ek majmua ashkon aur aahon ka
na jaane mujh ko is mazi se kyun itni mohabbat hai
puchha agar kisi ne mera aa ke haal-e-dil
be-ikhtiyar aah labon se nikal gai
aah karta hun to aate hain pasine un ko
nala karta hun to raaton ko wo dar jate hain
ai 'hafiz' aah aah par aakhir
kya kahen dost wah wa ke siwa
sher kya hai aah hai ya wah hai
jis se har dil ki ubhar aati hai chot
arsh tak jati thi ab lab tak bhi aa sakti nahin
rahm aa jata hai kyun ab mujh ko apni aah par
it cannot even reach my lips, it used to reach the highest skies
i feel compassion at the sorry condition of my sighs
aah to ab bhi dil se uthti hai
lekin us mein asar nahin hota
chaman phunk dalunga aah o fughan se
wo mera nasheman jala kar to dekhen
aah karta hun to aati hai palat kar ye sada
aashiqon ke waste bab-e-asar khulta nahin
ai junun hath jo wo zulf na aai hoti
aah ne arsh ki zanjir hilai hoti
bahut muzir dil-e-ashiq ko aah hoti hai
isi hawa se ye kashti tabah hoti hai
jab se juda hua hai wo shokh tab se mujh ko
nit aah aah karna aur zar zar rona
na kuchh sitam se tere aah aah karta hun
main apne dil ki madad gah gah karta hun