Zarb-ul-masal

main bhi bahut ajib hun itna ajib hun ki bas khud ko tabah kar liya aur malal bhi nahin

un ke dekhe se jo aa jati hai munh par raunaq wo samajhte hain ki bimar ka haal achchha hai the beloved’s presence briefly brings color and liveliness to the lover’s face, even though the inner pain remains. that passing ‘radiance’ becomes a misleading sign: onlookers judge health by appearance. the couplet captures how love can animate someone for a moment while the real illness—of heart or longing—stays untouched, creating a poignant misunderstanding.

ye jabr bhi dekha hai tarikh ki nazron ne lamhon ne khata ki thi sadiyon ne saza pai

be-khudi be-sabab nahin 'ghaalib' kuchh to hai jis ki parda-dari hai the speaker insists that his dazed, self-forgetful state has a real cause, not mere whim. “veiling” suggests a secret sorrow, love, or truth that cannot be openly named. the couplet captures an inner disturbance that shows itself as bewilderment while its source stays concealed. it turns confusion into evidence of a deeper, guarded reality.

zindagi zinda-dili ka hai nam murda-dil khak jiya karte hain

wo baat sare fasane mein jis ka zikr na tha wo baat un ko bahut na-gawar guzri hai

'umr sari to kati 'ishq-e-butan mein 'momin' aakhiri waqt mein kya khak musalman honge momin all your life in idol worship you did spend how can you be a muslim say now towards the end? the couplet is a sharp confession of wasted life and a fear of ending badly. “ishq-e-butan” symbolizes attachment to worldly charms that distract from faith. the poet mocks his own last-minute hope of piety, suggesting that a lifetime of misdirected love cannot be undone at death’s door. its emotional core is regret mixed with self-judgment.

ek aur dariya ka samna tha 'munir' mujh ko main ek dariya ke par utra to main ne dekha

daman pe koi chhint na khanjar pe koi dagh tum qatl karo ho ki karamat karo ho

ab udas phirte ho sardiyon ki shamon mein is tarah to hota hai is tarah ke kaamon mein

qismat to dekh tuti hai ja kar kahan kamand kuchh dur apne hath se jab baam rah gaya

main ne mana ki kuchh nahin 'ghaalib' muft hath aae to bura kya hai the couplet mixes resignation with wry humor: the speaker accepts that the outcome is “nothing,” yet still defends it because it cost no effort or price. “free in hand” becomes a metaphor for whatever life or fate hands over without investment. the emotional core is a dry, self-protective contentment—turning loss into something acceptable through irony.

shikast o fath miyan ittifaq hai lekin muqabla to dil-e-na-tawan ne khub kiya

baghban ne aag di jab aashiyane ko mere jin pe takiya tha wahi patte hawa dene lage

na main samjha na aap aae kahin se pasina pochhiye apni jabin se

ye bazm-e-mai hai yan kotah-dasti mein hai mahrumi jo badh kar khud utha le hath mein mina usi ka hai

itni na badha paki-e-daman ki hikayat daman ko zara dekh zara band-e-qaba dekh

lai hayat aae qaza le chali chale apni khushi na aae na apni khushi chale this couplet captures the philosophical essence of human helplessness regarding existence. it highlights that the two most significant events—birth and death—are entirely out of human control. man is portrayed as a traveler who follows the dictates of fate without any personal agency in the beginning or the end of his journey.

go qayamat se peshtar na hui tum na aae to kya sahar na hui

charkh ko kab ye saliqa hai sitamgari mein koi mashuq hai is parda-e-zangari mein