Naqab

khub parda hai ki chilman se lage baithe hain saf chhupte bhi nahin samne aate bhi nahin what coyness this is, to abide,a screen beside her face which neither does she clearly hide nor openly display dagh dehlvi paints the beloved’s teasing modesty: the curtain becomes a metaphor for a carefully maintained distance. by sitting at the curtain, the beloved stays tantalizingly near—visible enough to stir desire, yet not present enough to satisfy it. the lover is kept suspended between hope and denial, and that in-between state is the very ‘art’ of the veil.

ab to ghabra ke ye kahte hain ki mar jaenge

ab to ghabra ke ye kahte hain ki mar jaenge mar ke bhi chain na paaya to kidhar jaenge being perturbed i now express / the wish to die, although e'en in death, no peace is found, then where shall i go? tum ne thahrai agar ghhair ke ghar jaane ki to irade yahan kuchh aur thahar jaenge if you are resolved to go / thus to my rival's house my cause with greater ardor / i'll surely then espouse khali ai charagaro honge bahut marham-dan par mire zakhm nahin aise ki bhar jaenge healers, all your potions, balms, may now be at an end but my wounds are not the sort / that can be ever mend pahunchenge rahguzar-e-yar talak kyuun kar ham pahle jab tak na do aalam se guzar jaenge the path to my beloved's street / how can i ever find until i traverse the course / of both the worlds combined shoala-e-ah ko bijli ki tarah chamkaun par mujhe dar hai ki vo dekh ke dar jaenge like lightning i would brighten / the flame that is my sigh but then i am afraid that she, in fear, would start to cry ham nahin vo jo karen khuun ka daava tujh par balki puchhega khuda bhi to mukar jaenge i'm not one who'll seek to pin / my murder at your side in fact i'd deny if god / too asks me how i died aag dozakh ki bhi ho jaegi paani paani jab ye aasi araq-e-sharm se tar jaenge even blazing, roaring flames / of hell will then be quenched when sinners, in the sweat of shame / go there fully drenched nahin paega nishan koi hamara hargiz ham jahan se ravish-e-tir-e-nazar jaenge ۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔ ۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔ samne chashm-e-guhar-bar ke kah do dariya chadh ke gar aae to nazron se utar jaenge ۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔ ۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔ laae jo mast hain turbat pe gulabi ankhen aur agar kuchh nahin do phuul to dhar jaenge to my grave, she ventures with / rose tinted eyes aglow if nothing else, then now at least, two buds she will bestow rukh-e-raushan se naqab apne ulat dekho tum mehr-o-mah nazron se yaron ki utar jaenge let now your radiant face unveil, do let it come to light the sun and moon will fade away / from everybody's sight ham bhi dekhenge koi ahl-e-nazar hai ki nahin yaan se jab ham ravish-e-tir-e-nazar jaenge ۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔ ۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔ 'zauq' jo madrase ke bigde hue hain mulla un ko mai-khane men le aao sanvar jaenge 'zauq', misled by madrasas, mullahs have gone astray bring them to the tavern, there, they will mend their way ab to ghabra ke ye kahte hain ki mar jaenge mar ke bhi chain na paya to kidhar jaenge being perturbed i now express / the wish to die, although e'en in death, no peace is found, then where shall i go? tum ne thahrai agar ghair ke ghar jaane ki to irade yahan kuchh aur thahar jaenge if you are resolved to go / thus to my rival's house my cause with greater ardor / i'll surely then espouse khali ai chaaragaro honge bahut marham-dan par mere zakhm nahin aise ki bhar jaenge healers, all your potions, balms, may now be at an end but my wounds are not the sort / that can be ever mend pahunchenge rahguzar-e-yar talak kyun kar hum pahle jab tak na do aalam se guzar jaenge the path to my beloved's street / how can i ever find until i traverse the course / of both the worlds combined shoala-e-ah ko bijli ki tarah chamkaun par mujhe dar hai ki wo dekh ke dar jaenge like lightning i would brighten / the flame that is my sigh but then i am afraid that she, in fear, would start to cry hum nahin wo jo karen khun ka dawa tujh par balki puchhega khuda bhi to mukar jaenge i'm not one who'll seek to pin / my murder at your side in fact i'd deny if god / too asks me how i died aag dozakh ki bhi ho jaegi pani pani jab ye aasi araq-e-sharm se tar jaenge even blazing, roaring flames / of hell will then be quenched when sinners, in the sweat of shame / go there fully drenched nahin paega nishan koi hamara hargiz hum jahan se rawish-e-tir-e-nazar jaenge ۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔ ۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔ samne chashm-e-guhar-bar ke kah do dariya chadh ke gar aae to nazron se utar jaenge ۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔ ۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔ lae jo mast hain turbat pe gulabi aankhen aur agar kuchh nahin do phul to dhar jaenge to my grave, she ventures with / rose tinted eyes aglow if nothing else, then now at least, two buds she will bestow rukh-e-raushan se naqab apne ulat dekho tum mehr-o-mah nazron se yaron ki utar jaenge let now your radiant face unveil, do let it come to light the sun and moon will fade away / from everybody's sight hum bhi dekhenge koi ahl-e-nazar hai ki nahin yan se jab hum rawish-e-tir-e-nazar jaenge ۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔ ۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔ 'zauq' jo madrase ke bigde hue hain mulla un ko mai-khane mein le aao sanwar jaenge 'zauq', misled by madrasas, mullahs have gone astray bring them to the tavern, there, they will mend their way

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

aankhen khuda ne di hain to dekhenge husn-e-yar kab tak naqab rukh se uthai na jaegi

hazar chehre hain maujud aadmi ghaeb ye kis kharabe mein duniya ne la ke chhod diya

is daur mein insan ka chehra nahin milta kab se main naqabon ki tahen khol raha hun

sarakti jae hai rukh se naqab aahista aahista nikalta aa raha hai aaftab aahista aahista the veil slips from her visage at such a gentle pace as though the sun emerges from a cloud's embrace

abhi raat kuchh hai baqi na utha naqab saqi tera rind girte girte kahin phir sambhal na jae as yet the night does linger on do not remove your veil lest your besotten follower re-gains stability

dekh kar hum ko na parde mein tu chhup jaya kar hum to apne hain miyan ghair se sharmaya kar

tasawwur mein bhi ab wo be-naqab aate nahin mujh tak qayamat aa chuki hai log kahte hain shabab aaya

charagh-e-tur jalao bada andhera hai zara naqab uthao bada andhera hai

khol chehron pe chadhane nahin aate hum ko ganw ke log hain hum shahr mein kam aate hain

jo pardon mein khud ko chhupae hue hain qayamat wahi to uthae hue hain

kab tak chhupaoge rukh-e-zeba naqab mein barq-e-jamal rah nahin sakta hijab mein

hai dekhne walon ko sambhalne ka ishaara thodi si naqab aaj wo sarkae hue hain

go hawa-e-gulsitan ne mere dil ki laj rakh li wo naqab khud uthate to kuchh aur baat hoti

isi ummid par to ji rahe hain hijr ke mare kabhi to rukh se utthegi naqab aahista aahista

didar se pahle hi kya haal hua dil ka kya hoga jo ultenge wo rukh se naqab aakhir

tum jo parde mein sanwarte ho natija kya hai lutf jab tha ki koi dekhne wala hota

naqab-e-rukh uthaya ja raha hai wo nikli dhup saya ja raha hai from the confines of the veil your face is now being freed lo sunshine now emerges, the shadows now recede

zara naqab-e-hasin rukh se tum ulat dena hum apne dida-o-dil ka ghurur dekhenge

naqab kahti hai main parda-e-qayamat hun agar yaqin na ho dekh lo utha ke mujhe

agarche wo be-parda aae hue hain chhupane ki chizen chhupae hue hain

tere qurban 'qamar' munh sar-e-gulzar na khol sadqe us chand si surat pe na ho jae bahaar

ulti ek hath se naqab un ki ek se apne dil ko tham liya

aankhon ko dekhne ka saliqa jab aa gaya kitne naqab chehra-e-asrar se uthe

uth ai naqab-e-yar ki baithe hain der se kitne gharib dida-e-pur-nam liye hue

kisi mein tab kahan thi ki dekhta un ko uthi naqab to hairat naqab ho ke rahi

dekhta main use kyunkar ki naqab uthte hi ban ke diwar khadi ho gai hairat meri

zara parda hata do samne se bijliyan chamken mera dil jalwa-gah-e-tur ban jae to achchha ho