Shikwa

kaise kahen ki tujh ko bhi hum se hai wasta koi tu ne to hum se aaj tak koi gila nahin kiya

gila bhi tujh se bahut hai magar mohabbat bhi wo baat apni jagah hai ye baat apni jagah

ghairon se kaha tum ne ghairon se suna tum ne kuchh hum se kaha hota kuchh hum se suna hota

zindagi se yahi gila hai mujhe tu bahut der se mila hai mujhe

dil ki taklif kam nahin karte ab koi shikwa hum nahin karte

kab wo sunta hai kahani meri aur phir wo bhi zabani meri when does she ever heed my state and that too then when i narrate ghalib laments the absolute indifference of his beloved, who refuses to pay attention to his plight. the rejection is twofold: the beloved ignores the story itself, and finds it even more intolerable because it is being narrated directly by the poet.

bada maza ho jo mahshar mein hum karen shikwa wo minnaton se kahen chup raho khuda ke liye dagh dehlvi imagines the ultimate courtroom—judgment day—as a stage for lovers’ grievances. the thrill lies in the irony that even there, where truth should be spoken, the beloved tries to hush the lover with humble entreaties. “for god’s sake” carries both social politeness and a sacred weight, turning suppression into a tender, teasing intimacy. the couplet blends complaint with playful affection and moral pressure.

shikwa koi dariya ki rawani se nahin hai rishta hi meri pyas ka pani se nahin hai

raat aa kar guzar bhi jati hai ek hamari sahar nahin hoti

aarzu hasrat aur ummid shikayat aansu ek tera zikr tha aur bich mein kya kya nikla

sar agar sar hai to nezon se shikayat kaisi dil agar dil hai to dariya se bada hona hai

mohabbat hi mein milte hain shikayat ke maze paiham mohabbat jitni badhti hai shikayat hoti jati hai

kyun hijr ke shikwe karta hai kyun dard ke rone rota hai ab ishq kiya to sabr bhi kar is mein to yahi kuchh hota hai

kahne deti nahin kuchh munh se mohabbat meri lab pe rah jati hai aa aa ke shikayat meri from voicing my emotions, love makes me refrain grievances come to my lips but silent there remain the couplet shows a lover trapped between feeling and speech: love itself becomes a force that silences. the “complaint” rises again and again, yet remains unspoken, suggesting fear of hurting the beloved or losing dignity. the repeated reaching of words to the lips conveys persistent longing and inner pressure. the emotional core is restrained pain—too intense to hide, yet too delicate to declare.

koi charag jalata nahin saliqe se magar sabhi ko shikayat hawa se hoti hai

sunega kaun meri chaak-damani ka afsana yahan sab apne apne pairahan ki baat karte hain

chup raho to puchhta hai khair hai lo khamoshi bhi shikayat ho gai

saf inkar agar ho to tasalli ho jae jhute wadon se tere ranj siwa hota hai

han unhin logon se duniya mein shikayat hai hamein han wahi log jo akasr hamein yaad aae hain

un ka gham un ka tasawwur un ke shikwe ab kahan ab to ye baaten bhi ai dil ho gain aai gai

kya wo namrud ki khudai thi bandagi mein mera bhala na hua what divinity was it that nimrod once proclaimed? worship was no use to me, it did not compensate the poet expresses deep frustration with unrequited love by comparing his beloved to nimrod, an ancient tyrant who falsely claimed to be god. he laments that despite his total submission and worship-like devotion, he received no kindness or reward, implying that his beloved is as cruel and unresponsive as a false deity.

hamare ishq mein ruswa hue tum magar hum to tamasha ho gae hain

wo karen bhi to kin alfaz mein tera shikwa jin ko teri nigah-e-lutf ne barbaad kiya

ek teri be-rukhi se zamana khafa hua ai sang-dil tujhe bhi khabar hai ki kya hua

kis munh se karen un ke taghaful ki shikayat khud hum ko mohabbat ka sabaq yaad nahin hai

hum ko aapas mein mohabbat nahin karne dete ek yahi aib hai is shahr ke danaon mein

hum ajab hain ki us ki bahon mein shikwa-e-narasai karte hain

sirf shikwe dikh rahe hain ye nahin dikhta tujhe tujh se shikwe rakhne wala tera diwana bhi hai

sar-e-mahshar yahi puchhunga khuda se pahle tu ne roka bhi tha bande ko khata se pahle translation on the judgement day, i’ll enquire this from god, before he commited crime, any criminal did you stop? sagar akbarabadi

ye gham kya dil ki 'adat hai nahin to kisi se kuchh shikayat hai nahin to