Best Ghazal Poems

O beautiful wine-bearer, bring forth the cup and put it to my lips
Path of love seemed easy at first, what came was many hardships.
With its perfume, the morning breeze unlocks those beautiful locks
The curl of those dark ringlets, many hearts to shreds strips.
...

I wish to go and dwell,
In such a place,
Where there's no one else.
No one to understand my speech,
...

I am being accused of loving you, that is all
It is not an insult, but a praise, that is all

My heart is pleased at the words of the accusers
...

In my life there is room after room of good things
my man is one room for whom thanks-I-am-giving.
.
I do not know what good seeds I have been sowing
...

I was dead, then alive.
Weeping, then laughing.

The power of love came into me,
...

I don't need
a companion who is
nasty sad and sour
...

You who are not kept anxiously awake for love's sake, sleep on.
In restless search for that river, we hurry along;
...

Pain did not become grateful to medicine
I didn't get well; [but it] wasn't bad either
...

Where is sensible action, & my insanity whence?
See the difference, it is from where to whence.
From the church & hypocritical vestments, I take offence
Where is the abode of the Magi, & sweet wine whence?
...

Inside a snowy blanket which put the trees to sleep,
I heard a fawn.
Out past the window's ice coat in the morning, I
found a sleeping fawn.
...

That beautiful Shirazi Turk, took control and my heart stole,
I'll give Samarkand & Bukhara, for her Hindu beauty mole.
O wine-bearer bring me wine, such wine not found in Heavens
By running brooks, in flowery fields, spend your days and stroll.
...

.
.
I do not think you will see me
write a sonnet to a tree
...

.
In my life there is room after room of good things
my man is one room for whom thanks-I-am-giving.
.
...

The great poet the lover the mystic
Who wrote recipes for the broken hearts
Spake of the rubies jewels of Bagram
The curvaceous beauties from India
...

This morning the sun spattered the world with blue
Skies and from their resting places the winds blew

In reply. Now around us we see blue jays,
...

wind water earth sky - all things remain the same
for our Lord in heaven above we are but a game

He tests us at every step if we fail
...

My love and I reside upon the belly of a bridge
with heartbeats of the sky?--the drums upon the bridge.

I've heard of songs that rise at night from pitch black oceans.
...

What indeed is your patrimony
My sweet child, Aniqa!
A few 'ghazal' compositions, a handful of
poems
...

Come, let's refresh our promises
Or else it will scatter like petals from a flower

You were never mine, nor to be or will be
...

Never offer your heart to any strangers
They will return it without heed, under the sky.

In the lonely nights, if you look at the moon restively,
...

Excuse me, but my favorite color isn’t green
Even though I live in the city of Bowling Green.

In its history the people played such lively games.
...

All the friends are prepared and ready to move on
Many have already left, the remaining are also ready
O wind of springtime! Don't annoy [me] and move on your way
You intend to play whereas I feel wretched
...

Who says that we both are not together
Sky meets the earth, Have you seen?

Who says meeting of eyes unites the heart
...

غزل

صاحب ہماری پریم کہانی کہاں گئی
راجا کدھر گیا ہے وہ رانی کہاں گئی
...

Not much comes to mind now as I think of something yellow
Except that Beetle Song that happens to mention yellow.

I do not care to cite a certain bird I know by name
...

I had taken the longest journey
Coming home when I was lost
By the signs of the dust of feet
The lion in the herd of sheep
...

Those who have several wants and wishes to accomplish
Often when they start their journey do notfind the way to proceed

Like the boat when surrounded by the storm
...

Those seven colours of your charm alive
Thus, invite me to own a rainbow of my life

I have fallen from the mountain of my ego
...

Have you ever, he said, seen a rattlesnake moon?
Never, ever, I said. What's a rattlesnake moon?

One that captures solar light, soaking up its heat.
...

All the calendars measure the months of the seasons;
None of them painting the same scenario for all.
Still all know the reasons for the different seasons.
...

Hum se tark e ulfat jo us ne ki
Der tak us ke chehra udaas raha

Bewafyun ki ek unkhuli kitab
...

Parting cuckoo where her calls go?
Cut off from coast where sea would go?

Unfolding time dies duly blurred,
...

In dino mera dil kaa mujhe khud hi zahan nahin
kabhi thaa woh mera lekin ab woh mera raha hi nahin

Tumhara saath choota par mujhe tumse koi shikwa nahin
...

I don't know why, it's strange but true-
I feel lost in front of you

Virtues in me are too many,
...

Arzu-e-sahar mein kiya karti
zindagi ko basar mein kiya karti

ashk behnay mein ik tabaahi thi
rokti na agar to kiya karti
...

Fly like a kite in the passion of storms,
Why don't you love and enjoy its charms.
Sink yourself in the ocean of two eyes,
Life is between two lovely soft arms.
...

Came like lightning and then vanished like a scent
Long-forgotten memory that helped to heal and ferment.

There was such a commotion that a lot of blood was shed,
...

Suspicion consumed me
As it does to this day

Lined by desire
I hid the wounds in my heart
...

Neither I asked from the moon nor from the stars
But I requested Your thoughts to stay the whole night

How this darkness scares me and How the night plays its games
...

Too volatile, am I?too voluble?too much a word-person?
I blame the soup:I'm a primordially
stirred person.
...

A poet friend spoke of a poetic form called a ghazal
and said, why don’t you try to write a poem like a ghazal?

They’ve been revived in recent years in English, in fact
...

Look up and gaze at craters on the cheesy moon.
A cow, a spoon jumping over the cheesy moon.

Opening the refrigerator, what cheese now?
...

Mana ke roshini teri taron main lajawab hay,
Akhtar-e-sham bujh bhi ja aamade mah-e-tab hay.
Kaisi giran muhabbaten jane kahan lutai haiyn,
Akhtar yeh dil bhi aap ka bigra huwa nawab hay.
...

Not important sweetheart what your brain concedes,
Important is the truth of your heart it feeds.
Not important sweetheart, how much knowledge you have,
Important is application when you sow its seeds.
...

Excuse me asking - 'Does he take - Sugar? '
'Would he like on lump or two of - Sugar? '

Cornflakes? I'm afraid we're out of Sugar
...

Chahata hoon main magar, har chahat ko fikr nahi milti
Chal pada hoon main magar, rah ko manzil nahi milti

Kashtiyan tofano me ghir jaye agar, usko sahil ki khabar nahi milti
...

मैं मगज़दारी से कोह सो दूर नफ़र।
मैं हूँ मेडीमेरा न कोई क़ुसूर नफ़र।

हँसते हँसते राह-ए-हक़ पे चलते हैं
...

Original ~

pyaas to hai par jaam nahin hai
taruvar hai par chhaaon nahin hai
...

Traveller O, why your feet have halted there?
Your terminus is still nowhere near.

Hear the brook that goes on singing in the woods,
...

Sing a song of Tajmahal
a fine rhyme or a ghazal

Of this landmark for lovers
...

Can we think of anything sweet and not think of sugar?
There are just two many things that remind us of sugar.

We all have inner pulsing passions for pleasures of a sugarland.
...

Unke rukhsar pe til bhi tha hamein kya maloom tha
Humne dil dekha tha, Jism kya hai hamein kya maloom tha

Woh tou nazron se dil mein ghar kar gayi,
...

Joyous, blissful moment, sitting on the porch, you and I
two forms, two faces, yet one soul together, you and I

The groves' gift, the birds' songs give us the water of ever
...

Snuggled in a cocoon en plein air sur terre
Safe from the predator, en plein air sur terre

Nestled in the hubris near the adder’s tongue
...

Hindustan belongs to me and Pakistan belongs to me
Both of these, however, are under American hegemony
...

life's an evening without dawn, buddy
why are you awake all night, buddy?

i'm weary of travelling on and on,
...

The mountains loomed high, the valleys of rivers reflected sparkling crystals all of sugar.
There were beets and there were canes and as far as the eye could see just sugar, sweet sugar.

Nothing black, nothing sour, not even a hint of bitterness
...

Qurbaten faslon mein badal to gaeen yad lekin na dil se nikal pai hay,
Ishq ka rog hay husn ka sog hay yeh tabiat na ab tak sambhal pai hay.
Maine koshish bahut ki magar keya karoon zindagi dheere dheere na chal pai hay,
Chal chalao hay is zindagi ka magar teri chahat na dil se nikal pai hay.
...

Original~

lahar thee, tata par bikhar gayi
zindagi yoon hee guzar gayi
...

You smile sweetheart many flowers sprung,
Wordsworth and Shelley and Keats are sung.
Tide of beauty brings out many pearls,
Ugliness sweeps out like dirt and dung.
...

kaise kahooN maiN Haal jahaN se
Sub ko lageN ehsaas jawaN se
Aisee ghazal ko laaooN kahaN se
Kaise sub ka dil bahlaaooN
...

...

They say your eyes have seen dreams, when did you sleep?
Where everyone remains sleeping, how do you remain awake?

Those doors are special where air asks for permission,
...

Hey, in India,
The India of the mass
Diverse and varied,
Where the sun blazes hot
...

A thousand wishes so, each leaves one, devoid of breath.
Many desires now rest, fulfilled; so many yet remain unmet.

Fears why my smiter? Shall it remain upon his neck?
...

(prize-winner in poetry competition
HIKC Lhr 2007)

Sitam ka baar uthaanay me kuchh kami na rahi
...

It may have all started as a dream
When an inspired thought brought a gleam
Of poetic flair primed to ignite
To free your thoughts in expressive flight
...

hum ko aaghaz-e-safar marta hai
marta koi nahin dar marta hai
zindagi hai meri mushkil mein padi
ishqbekare me sur marta hai
...

Jo shaiy apnon mein unqua hay who beganon mein milti hay,
Muhabbat darhaqueequat sirf deewanon mein milti hay.
Farishta jurm karta hay to sharminda nahin hota,
Khataon per pasheemani to insanon mein milti hay.
...

Jo guzar gai woh thi zindigi jo guzar rahi woh sawal hay,
Tum ise bhi kahte ho zindigi yeh to apna apna khyal hay.
Ye hawa ke jhonke kabhi kabhi yeh jo gugdgudi si lagate hayn,
Kabhi rote rote jo hans pada in hawaon ka yeh kamal hay.
...

O my lover! I'm the parched earth awaiting a union with you
O my lover! Take me in your arms and let our breasts meet each other
...

[I can't] drink even a sip from the wine-cup in the absence of my beloved
[I can't] live even for a moment in the absence of my beloved
...

Have you ever, he said, seen a rattlesnake moon?
Never, ever, I said. What’s a rattlesnake moon?

One that captures solar light, soaking up its heat.
...

Mujhko to bas woh usi waqt hi lagte hain bhale,
Roothe hote hain manata hoon woh milte hain gale.
Woh bure to nahin lekin bahut ache bhi nahin,
Aa to jate hain magar aate hi kehte hain chale.
...

Woh ek shakhs jo hamraz-o-hamnasheen tha mera,
Jise main apna samajhta raha, nahin tha mera.
Jo le uda tha qurar aur chain dil se mere,
Sukoon-e-dil bhi wohi dard-e-dilnasheen tha mera.
...

When I first saw you, I felt a hello-moon,
Like I was phasing into a tallow moon,

Sitting in a chair/hands moving/crocheting,
...

Nature’s seams of seasons en plein air sur terre
orbit of harmony en plain air sur terre

Primavera, our eyes rise for your coming
...

Each morning I take a lonely stroll in the woods.
Enter the romantic reverence of the woods.

An avian symphony grace me company.
...

Oh my shadow, you are like my sorrow
Leaving me not alone to rest in peace

Oh my shadow you're dark like my sorrow
...

आज अपने ही खटकने लग गए
रिश्ते नाज़ुक थे चटकने लग गए
रास्तों की मुश्किलें हल हो गईं
आके मंज़िल पर भटकने लग गए
...

Love became lame,
Faith lost its fame;
All were scared,
But brave was in blame;
...

Wherefrom he comes whereto he goes
I have seen him, he is distincly visible
colors dance and his aroma sings a ghazal
a light that fills moon and the stars
...

When a voice is not heard it's nicely seen,
When ears are inactive my eyes are keen.
In all my senses it's touch instrumental,
Sixth sense of the soul is a touch unseen.
...

...

Life that is past in love is life, nothing is rest,
It's good it's better no doubt is the best.
Two birds ignorant what happens in the world,
Satisfied, content and happy in the nest!
...

The God of love, the clouds, the nipples, the beloved are all excited
The wind, the zephyr, the love, the beloved are all excited
...

The wind has arrived with the winter season
In the absence of lover the God of love pesters the beloved
...

Your meetings are nice but separation is a boon,
I talk to stars and walk with the moon,
While jogging on the tracks of the Milky Ways,
I search a place for our honeymoon.
...

You've an objection to come [to me] and don't invite me either
You don't disclose the reason for severing relations either
...

Zidigi ay zindigi tujhse main ukta geya,
Yeh jagah hay kaun si main kahan per aa geya.
Apnon ne ayse dukh diye jinka beyan mumkin nahin,
Keya kahoon kisse kahun keya kho geya keya pa geya.
...

Khushi o gham ki dhoop chaon kitni khushgawar hay,
Kabhi theen unse ranjishen aur aaj kitna peyar hay.
Yeh kaun aa geya yehan ke bam-o-dar chamak uthe,
Hawa bhi kutch mehek gai fiza bhi lalazar hay.
...

Jab aankhein batien karne lagen khamoshi achi lagti hay,
Ab hosh ko rakh kar keya karna behoshi achi lagti hay.
Koi hosh urane wala ho aur aur toot ke chahne wala ho,
Aur shanon pe zulfein bikhri hon madhoshi achi lagti hay.
...

Woyese to hum mile na kahin, ajnabi se they,
Rishte na jane kaise kahan ke kabhi ke they.
Dekha jo unko aankhon ne chupke se keya kaha,
Alam ajeeb dil pe mere bebasi ke they.
...

You are in habit of avoiding me often?
But you are in habit of loving me often!
I am in habit of erasing me in love,
for erasing I love writing me often.
...

Arsa e zeest ko sadiyon ka safar jana hay
Phir bhi ik roz tou hr shakhs ko mr jana hay

Meray Mabood tamannaon ka ambaar lye
...

The buds of wishes have grown and became flowers, now.
The fragrance of it is spreading to all parts and directions, now.

What my mind conceived and heart did not endorse
...

Teri justaju lekar bhatakte rahe sehra mein,
Kyun Zindagi ko tar tar kiya hamne,

Na apni khabar rahi, na sahara bane kisi ka,
...

It slowly creeps across the sky prowling for escapades, that hungry moon.
Darling, come with me, flirt with the night, I’ll protect you from that hungry moon.

We’ll dance the habanera and let it have its way with us all the night.
...

Where to begin and then end this saga of stone;
On Mt. Sinai with the Ten Commandments of stone?

With the mighty megaliths of Britain’s Stonehenge?
...

Let us celebrate Basant, the fest of love and life,
You, my love, are the moon, I, a star on high.

My body is all aglow, like the purest, shining gold,
Here I come decked and draped, armed and fortified.
...