Is collection se writer-diverse top picks for quick reading.
tire vaade par jiye ham to ye jaan jhuut jaana
ki khushi se mar na jaate agar e'tibar hota
that your promise made me live, let that not deceive
happily my life i'd give, if i could but believe
the lover says their survival was tied to the beloved’s promise, but that promise proved false. the sharp paradox is that real trust would have brought such overwhelming relief that the lover would have “died of joy.” the couplet turns faith into a life-support and exposes how betrayal converts hope into bitter self-reproach. love here is shown as suspended between trust and the pain of being deceived.
vafa karenge nibahenge baat manenge
tumhen bhi yaad hai kuchh ye kalam kis ka tha
the couplet recalls a lover’s old assurances—faithfulness, constancy, and obedience—and then turns them into a pointed question. by asking “whose words were these,” the speaker highlights the gap between promises and present behavior. the tone carries reproach mixed with sorrow, using memory as evidence against forgetfulness and betrayal.
tire vaadon pe kahan tak mira dil fareb khaae
koi aisa kar bahana miri aas tuut jaae
adatan tum ne kar diye vaade
adatan ham ne e'tibar kiya
vo jo ham men tum men qarar tha tumhen yaad ho ki na yaad ho
vahi yaani vaada nibah ka tumhen yaad ho ki na yaad ho
the love that 'tween us used to be, you may, may not recall
those promises of constancy, you may, may not recall
the speaker addresses the beloved with a restrained ache, asking whether they still recall the old mutual bond. “qarar” suggests an agreed, steady relationship, and “wada nibah” is the pledge of loyalty. by repeating “remember or not,” the poet conveys uncertainty, hurt, and quiet accusation: forgetting itself becomes a form of betrayal. the couplet turns memory into a test of love and commitment.
ab tum kabhi na aaoge yaani kabhi kabhi
rukhsat karo mujhe koi vaada kiye baghhair
ek ik baat men sachchai hai us ki lekin
apne vaadon se mukar jaane ko ji chahta hai
subut hai ye mohabbat ki sada-lauhi ka
jab us ne vaada kiya ham ne e'tibar kiya
ek muddat se na qasid hai na khat hai na payam
apne vaade ko to kar yaad mujhe yaad na kar
ummid to bandh jaati taskin to ho jaati
vaada na vafa karte vaada to kiya hota
~ Chiragh Hasan Hasrat
tere vaade ko kabhi jhuut nahin samjhunga
aaj ki raat bhi darvaza khula rakkhunga
kis munh se kah rahe ho hamen kuchh ghharaz nahin
kis munh se tum ne vaada kiya tha nibah ka
main us ke vaade ka ab bhi yaqin karta huun
hazar baar jise aazma liya main ne
to this day her promises i do still believe
who a thousand times has been wont to deceive
tha vaada shaam ka magar aae vo raat ko
main bhi kivad kholne fauran nahin gaya
aur kuchh der sitaro thahro
us ka vaada hai zarur aaega
phir chahe to na aana o aan baan vaale
jhuta hi vaada kar le sachchi zaban vaale
ham ko un se vafa ki hai ummid
jo nahin jante vafa kya hai
from her i hope for constancy
who knows it not, to my dismay
the poet mocks his own naivety in expecting loyalty from a beloved who is completely oblivious to the concept. it highlights a tragic irony where the lover's intense expectations are directed at someone incapable of fulfilling them, either due to innocence or cruel indifference.
ghhazab kiya tire vaade pe e'tibar kiya
tamam raat qayamat ka intizar kiya
the speaker rebukes himself for believing the beloved’s word, treating that trust as a shocking mistake. the “night-long wait” becomes so intense and crushing that it feels like waiting for the end of the world. “qayamat” is a metaphor for unbearable anxiety and emotional devastation, showing how a broken promise turns time into torment.
khatir se ya lihaz se main maan to gaya
jhuti qasam se aap ka iman to gaya
for reasons of formality, i've chosen to believe
you have surely lost your faith when you so deceive
the speaker says he agreed not because he was convinced, but to maintain courtesy. the beloved tries to prove truth with a sworn statement, yet the oath is clearly false. that lie doesn’t just break trust; it exposes moral bankruptcy—‘imaan’ here stands for integrity and reliability. the couplet’s sting is that the other person “wins” the argument but loses honor.
main bhi hairan huun ai 'daghh' ki ye baat hai kya
vaada vo karte hain aata hai tabassum mujh ko
the lover is amazed at his own reaction: the beloved’s promises no longer inspire hope but provoke a knowing smile. “promise” becomes a metaphor for empty assurance, repeated so often that it turns into a joke. the emotional core is weary disbelief mixed with quiet irony, as trust has been replaced by amused skepticism.
