ye ishq nahin asan itna hi samajh liije ik aag ka dariya hai aur duub ke jaana hai

us ki yaad aai hai sanso zara ahista chalo dhadkanon se bhi ibadat men khalal padta hai

achchha khasa baithe baithe gum ho jaata huun ab main aksar main nahin rahta tum ho jaata huun

hosh valon ko khabar kya be-khudi kya chiiz hai ishq kiije phir samajhiye zindagi kya chiiz hai

karunga kya jo mohabbat men ho gaya nakam mujhe to aur koi kaam bhi nahin aata

what will i do in love / if i don't succeed i know no other task, i have to concede

koi samjhe to ek baat kahun ishq taufiq hai gunah nahin

if someone were to listen, one thing i will opine love is not a crime forsooth it is grace divine the speaker feels surrounded by misunderstanding and offers a single, clarifying truth to anyone capable of insight. by calling love “taufiq,” he frames it as a gift that elevates the heart rather than a moral offense. the couplet defends love against social or religious blame, turning accusation into spiritual dignity. its emotional core is quiet insistence: love deserves reverence, not condemnation.

tum ko aata hai pyaar par ghhussa mujh ko ghhusse pe pyaar aata hai

yaaro kuchh to zikr karo tum us ki qayamat banhon ka vo jo simatte honge un men vo to mar jaate honge

jab bhi aata hai mira naam tire naam ke saath jaane kyuun log mire naam se jal jaate hain

whenever my name happens to be linked to thee i wonder why these people burn with jealousy

sab log jidhar vo hain udhar dekh rahe hain ham dekhne valon ki nazar dekh rahe hain

the couplet contrasts common attention with the speaker’s sharper, second-level observation. while the crowd stares at the beloved, the lover reads the crowd’s gaze—measuring desire, envy, and fascination. it hints at possessiveness and a quiet rivalry: the beloved is one, but the eyes upon them are many. the emotional core is alert, slightly jealous, and intensely self-aware.

patthar mujhe kahta hai mira chahne vaala main mom huun us ne mujhe chhu kar nahin dekha

kuchh to hava bhi sard thi kuchh tha tira khayal bhi dil ko khushi ke saath saath hota raha malal bhi

kaun si baat hai tum men aisi itne achchhe kyuun lagte ho

main chahta tha ki us ko gulab pesh karun vo khud gulab tha us ko gulab kya deta

ishq par zor nahin hai ye vo atish 'ghhalib' ki lagae na lage aur bujhae na bane

one has no power over love, it is that flame, to wit, which neither can be set alight, nor extinguished once lit the couplet presents love as an uncontrollable inner blaze. it arrives on its own terms and refuses to obey the lover’s will, so both starting and stopping it lie beyond human power. the metaphor of “fire” captures love’s consuming intensity and the speaker’s helpless surrender to it.

dil men kisi ke raah kiye ja raha huun main kitna hasin gunah kiye ja raha huun main

ik lafz-e-mohabbat ka adna ye fasana hai simte to dil-e-ashiq phaile to zamana hai

akhri hichki tire zanun pe aae maut bhi main shairana chahta huun

vasl ka din aur itna mukhtasar din gine jaate the is din ke liye

shab-e-visal hai gul kar do in charaghhon ko khushi ki bazm men kya kaam jalne valon ka

the speaker asks for the lamps to be put out because the night of union needs no artificial light—intimacy prefers darkness. “burning ones” are the lovers who suffer in longing; their inner fire clashes with the mood of celebration. the couplet carries a sharp irony: joy makes the grief-stricken feel unnecessary and pushed aside.

ye ishq nahin asan itna hi samajh liije ik aag ka dariya hai aur duub ke jaana hai

us ki yaad aai hai sanso zara ahista chalo dhadkanon se bhi ibadat men khalal padta hai

achchha khasa baithe baithe gum ho jaata huun ab main aksar main nahin rahta tum ho jaata huun

hosh valon ko khabar kya be-khudi kya chiiz hai ishq kiije phir samajhiye zindagi kya chiiz hai

chupke chupke raat din aansu bahana yaad hai ham ko ab tak ashiqi ka vo zamana yaad hai

karunga kya jo mohabbat men ho gaya nakam mujhe to aur koi kaam bhi nahin aata

what will i do in love / if i don't succeed i know no other task, i have to concede

tire ishq ki intiha chahta huun miri sadgi dekh kya chahta huun

the speaker’s desire is absolute: not a portion of love, but its final height. in the second line he recognizes, with a tender irony, how naive and audacious this wish is. “intiha” becomes a metaphor for total union or complete fulfillment, while “sadgi” admits human limitation. the emotion is a mix of longing, devotion, and self-aware humility.

tum ko aata hai pyaar par ghhussa mujh ko ghhusse pe pyaar aata hai

dil men kisi ke raah kiye ja raha huun main kitna hasin gunah kiye ja raha huun main

jo kaha main ne ki pyaar aata hai mujh ko tum par hans ke kahne laga aur aap ko aata kya hai

laughing, she inquired when, i said "i love you" is there anything else at all that you know to do

sab log jidhar vo hain udhar dekh rahe hain ham dekhne valon ki nazar dekh rahe hain

the couplet contrasts common attention with the speaker’s sharper, second-level observation. while the crowd stares at the beloved, the lover reads the crowd’s gaze—measuring desire, envy, and fascination. it hints at possessiveness and a quiet rivalry: the beloved is one, but the eyes upon them are many. the emotional core is alert, slightly jealous, and intensely self-aware.

aaina dekh ke kahte hain sanvarne vaale aaj be-maut marenge mire marne vaale

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.

patthar mujhe kahta hai mira chahne vaala main mom huun us ne mujhe chhu kar nahin dekha

kuchh to hava bhi sard thi kuchh tha tira khayal bhi dil ko khushi ke saath saath hota raha malal bhi

yaad rakhna hi mohabbat men nahin hai sab kuchh bhuul jaana bhi badi baat hua karti hai

akhri hichki tire zanun pe aae maut bhi main shairana chahta huun

vasl ka din aur itna mukhtasar din gine jaate the is din ke liye

shab-e-visal hai gul kar do in charaghhon ko khushi ki bazm men kya kaam jalne valon ka

the speaker asks for the lamps to be put out because the night of union needs no artificial light—intimacy prefers darkness. “burning ones” are the lovers who suffer in longing; their inner fire clashes with the mood of celebration. the couplet carries a sharp irony: joy makes the grief-stricken feel unnecessary and pushed aside.

kaun si baat hai tum men aisi itne achchhe kyuun lagte ho

main chahta tha ki us ko gulab pesh karun vo khud gulab tha us ko gulab kya deta