ejaz-e-jan-dahi hai hamare kalam ko
zinda kiya hai ham ne masiha ke naam ko
life-bestowing miracles my poetry can claim
glory I have now restored to the Messiah’s name
likkho salam ghair ke khat men ghulam ko
bande ka bas salam hai aise salam ko
in his rival’s message greetings to your slave you pen
your slave can only salute such a salutation then
ab shor hai misal jo di us khiram ko
yuun kaun janta tha qayamat ke naam ko
a hue ensues then when I use your gait as similie
of doomsday, say, how else aware could anybody be
aata hai bahr-e-qatl vo daur ai hujum-e-yas
ghabra na jaae dekh kahin azhdaham ko
she comes to slay me at a time, when miseries surround
I hope she is not daunted by this mob that’s all around
go aap ne javab bura hi diya vale
mujh se bayan na kiije adu ke payam ko
though you may have replied to him as rudely as you claim
don’t tell me what was in my rival’s message, just the same
yaan vasl hai talafi-e-hijran men ai falak
kyuun sochta hai taaza sitam intiqam ko
here, Heavens, union’s recompense for parting’s torment
then for revenge, new tortures, why do you invent
tere samand-e-naz ki beja shararten
karte hain aag nala-e-andesha-kam ko
———
———
girye pe mere zinda-dilo hanste kya ho aah
rota huun apne main dil-e-jannat-maqam ko
———
———
sah sah ke na-durust tiri khu bigad di
ham ne kharab aap kiya apne kaam ko
Iniquity I endured, and spoilt your temperament
I thereby managed to defeat what was my own intent
us se jala ke ghair ko ummid-e-pukhtagi
lag jaae aag dil ke khayalat-e-kham ko
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———
bakht-e-sapid aina-dari kare to main
dikhlaun dil ke jaur us aina-fam ko
———
———
jab tu chale janaza-e-ashiq ke saath saath
phir kaun varison ke sune izn-e-am ko
if you were to walk side by side with your lover’s hearse
who would pay attention to the heir’s leave to disperse
shayad ki din phire hain kisi tira-roz ke
ab ghair us gali men nahin phirte shaam ko
maybe in his dark days someone’s fortunes now reverse
no longer, evening time, do rivals in her street traverse
muddat se naam sunte the ‘momin’ ka baare aaj
dekha bhi ham ne us shoara ke imaam ko
for ages we have heard the name of momin, finally
the leader of all poets now we too have got to see
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