Poet
gah ham se khafa vo hain gahe un se khafa ham
muddat se isi tarah nibhi jaati hai baham
at times I am cross with her, at times she with me
for ages we have managed in this manner mutually
karte hain ghalat yaar se izhar-e-vafa ham
sabit jo hua ishq kuja yaar kuja ham
it is wrong of me to tell her of my loyalty
where is she and where am I, if love it proves to be
kuchh nashsha-e-mai se nahin kam nashsha-e-nakhvat
taqva men bhi sahba ka uthate hain maza ham
greater than headiness of wine is headiness of pride
for rapture more than alcohol does abstinence provide
maujud hai jo laao jo matlub hai vo lo
mushtaq-e-vafa tum ho talabgar-e-jafa ham
give me what is present, take whatever you need
you desire faithfulness, being tortured is my creed
ne taba pareshan thi na khatir mutafarriq
vo din bhi ajab the ki ham aur aap the baham
untroubled was my temperament,my being was not undone
so full of wonder were those days, when you and I were one
kya karte hain kya sunte hain kya dekhte hain haae
us shokh ke jab kholte hain band-e-qaba ham
what I do, what will I hear, what will I see at last
when that naughty damsel’s gown I manage to unfast
ye tarz-e-tarannum kahin zinhar na dhundo
ai ‘shefta’ ya murgh-e-chaman rakhte hain ya ham
to seek this style of singing elsewhere I would not advise
either sheftaa carries it, else birds of paradise
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