Husn

sham bhi thi dhuan dhuan husn bhi tha udas udas dil ko kai kahaniyan yaad si aa ke rah gain the couplet links outer scenery with inner feeling: a smoky dusk mirrors a dim, heavy mood. even “beauty” appears depressed, suggesting love itself has lost its shine. in that atmosphere, old memories and unfinished tales rise inside the heart and linger, not becoming clear words—only a persistent ache.

husn ke samajhne ko umr chahiye jaanan do ghadi ki chahat mein ladkiyan nahin khultin

us ke chehre ki chamak ke samne sada laga aasman pe chand pura tha magar aadha laga

tumhaari aankhon ki tauhin hai zara socho tumhaara chahne wala sharab pita hai

na puchho husn ki tarif hum se mohabbat jis se ho bas wo hasin hai

teri surat se kisi ki nahin milti surat hum jahan mein teri taswir liye phirte hain

aaina dekh ke kahte hain sanwarne wale aaj be-maut marenge mere marne wale on seeing her own reflection she is moved to say ere their time, my paramours shall perish this day the speaker hears admirers/beautifiers praising themselves in the mirror, and turns that scene into a sharp boast. he implies his charm and presence are so overpowering that even his rivals’ ill-wishing rebounds on them. “dying without death” is a metaphor for being consumed by envy and frustration. the couplet’s emotional core is proud, taunting irony.

kaun si ja hai jahan jalwa-e-mashuq nahin shauq-e-didar agar hai to nazar paida kar where in this world does ones beloved's beauty not reside if the zeal for sight you have, the vision too provide

ai sanam jis ne tujhe chand si surat di hai usi allah ne mujh ko bhi mohabbat di hai

hasin to aur hain lekin koi kahan tujh sa jo dil jalae bahut phir bhi dilruba hi lage

suna hai us ke badan ki tarash aisi hai ki phul apni qabaen katar ke dekhte hain

phul gul shams o qamar sare hi the par hamein un mein tumhin bhae bahut the couplet sets up a whole universe of admired beauties—nature and the heavens—then quietly overturns it by choosing the beloved above all. flowers and celestial bodies become metaphors for different forms of beauty and attraction, but none compares to the beloved’s pull. the emotional core is devoted preference: in a world full of wonders, the heart singles out one person as supreme.

tere jamal ki taswir khinch dun lekin zaban mein aankh nahin aankh mein zaban nahin

ishq bhi ho hijab mein husn bhi ho hijab mein ya to khud aashkar ho ya mujhe aashkar kar allama iqbal portrays a world where both the seeker’s love and the sought-after beauty remain veiled, so true encounter cannot happen. the speaker pleads for clarity: either the beloved/truth should manifest openly, or the speaker’s inner self should be unveiled. the ‘hijab’ symbolizes barriers of perception, ego, and confusion. the emotional core is restless yearning for direct vision and self-recognition.

wo chand kah ke gaya tha ki aaj niklega to intizar mein baitha hua hun sham se main

itne hijabon par to ye aalam hai husn ka kya haal ho jo dekh len parda utha ke hum

ishq ka zauq-e-nazara muft mein badnam hai husn khud be-tab hai jalwa dikhane ke liye love is needlessly defamed that for vision it is keen beauty is impatient too for its splendour to be seen

tum husn ki khud ek duniya ho shayad ye tumhein malum nahin mahfil mein tumhaare aane se har chiz pe nur aa jata hai

uf wo marmar se tarasha hua shaffaf badan dekhne wale use taj-mahal kahte hain

tujhe kaun jaanta tha meri dosti se pahle tera husn kuchh nahin tha meri shairi se pahle

jis bhi fankar ka shahkar ho tum us ne sadiyon tumhein socha hoga

ajab teri hai ai mahbub surat nazar se gir gae sab khubsurat

kya husn ne samjha hai kya ishq ne jaana hai hum khak-nashinon ki thokar mein zamana hai

tumhaara husn aaraish tumhaari sadgi zewar tumhein koi zarurat hi nahin banne sanwarne ki

ilahi kaisi kaisi suraten tu ne banai hain ki har surat kaleje se laga lene ke qabil hai

jis taraf tu hai udhar hongi sabhi ki nazren id ke chand ka didar bahana hi sahi

rukh-e-raushan ke aage shama rakh kar wo ye kahte hain udhar jata hai dekhen ya idhar parwana aata hai the beloved stages a playful test: the lamp is a rival light set beside the radiance of the face. the moth stands for the lover, drawn helplessly toward beauty and flame-like danger. beneath the flirtation is possessiveness—wanting proof that the lover’s pull is toward the beloved, not any other attraction. the couplet captures teasing, temptation, and the lover’s fated surrender.

tera chehra kitna suhana lagta hai tere aage chand purana lagta hai

kisi ka yun to hua kaun umr bhar phir bhi ye husn o ishq to dhoka hai sab magar phir bhi the couplet carries a resigned wisdom: lasting, complete belonging in love is rare, yet the heart keeps returning to it. calling beauty and love a “deception” points to their promise of fulfillment that often slips away. still, the repeated “yet even then” shows an unwillingness to stop hoping—despite knowing the truth. it captures the tug between clear-eyed disillusionment and stubborn desire.

kisi kali kisi gul mein kisi chaman mein nahin wo rang hai hi nahin jo tere badan mein nahin