main aks-e-aarzu thaa havaa le gai mujhe — Zeb Ghauri

"koi ghaTaa baalaa-e-baam si lagti hai shaam nahin hai lekin shaam si lagti hai dekhte hi aankhon mein aa jaataa hai surur hinaa tire haathon mein jaam si lagti hai mausam-e-gul bhi baad-e-sabaa bhi hai lekin nikhat-e-gesu mere naam si lagti hai ab main is ko kis gham se taa'bir karun ye shab bhi mujh ko be-naam si lagti hai 'ajab asiri 'ajab hai ye aazaadi bhi khuli fazaa hai lekin daam si lagti hai 'zeb' kivaaDein jab barson ke baa'd khulein taaza havaa bhi ik in'aam si lagti hai"

"kaundh uTThi kabhi bijli kabhi baadal chamkaa khalvat-e-husn kaa har gosha musalsal chamkaa jagmagaati rahi jalvon se tire bazm-e-nigaah kabhi gesu kabhi 'aariz kabhi aanchal chamkaa phuuT nikli kabhi honThon se koi shokh kiran kabhi palkon ki ghani chhaanv mein kaajal chamkaa sail-e-naghmaat mein shab teri sadaa kaa sho'la kabhi ojhal huaa ik pal kabhi ik pal chamkaa gesu-e-shab ke mahakte hue saae ke tale misl-e-aaina tiraa jism jhalaa-jhal chamkaa 'zeb' naghmon ke charaaghaan mein kise hosh thaa kal ik sitaara miri mizhgaan pe musalsal chamkaa"

"ik nazar mujh ko dekhtaa bhi nahin vo khafaa ho to kuchh gila bhi nahin kis qadar meri zaat hai tanhaa aur mujh se koi judaa bhi nahin bujhaa jaataa hai baar-baar charaagh tez kuchh is qadar havaa bhi nahin raaste mein paDi hai laash miri koi is samt dekhtaa bhi nahin saamne raaegaan 'adam kaa hai aur koi 'zeb' raasta bhi nahin"

"raah-guzar ke patthar paani lagne lage lutf-e-safar kyaa jab aasaani lagne lage arz-o-samaa ki gardish soch ke Dar jaaun paanv jamaa luun main vo ravaani lagne lage main ne jidhar bhi us ke havaale se dekhaa saare manzar us ki nishaani lagne lage ik ik harf itnaa dohraayaa phulon ne us ke rang-o-bu ki kahaani lagne lage ek kiran us ke aavezon se phuTi aur dariyaa saahil sab dhaani lagne lage jhaank kar us ki aankhon mein dekhun to mujhe kabhi bahaar kabhi viraani lagne lage kaise chhupaaun dil ke zakhmon ko us se aisi rafaaqat kyaa ki giraani lagne lage itni baasi nazron se mat dekh ki 'zeb' do din mein har chiiz puraani lagne lage"

"hai bahut taaq vo bedaad mein Dar hai ye bhi jaan salaamat na bachaa laaun khatar hai ye bhi dil ki lau phir usi Thahraao pe aa jaaegi ik zaraa der havaaon kaa asar hai ye bhi ju-e-paayaab-e-mohabbat mein javaahir mat DhunDh kisi patthar ko samajh le ki guhar hai ye bhi justuju gauhar-e-maani ki ziyaan vaqt kaa hai kyaa parakhtaa hai unhein sarf-e-nazar hai ye bhi manzilein khatm huiin tark o taalluq ki tamaam ab kisi samt nikal jaa ki safar hai ye bhi ab salaamat kahaan rah paaegaa ye naqsh-e-vafaa kuchh lahu dil kaa bachaa le ki hunar hai ye bhi dasht o dar mein vahi surkhi vahi peDon pe chamak zard phulon ko na dekho to sahar hai ye bhi aage chal ke to kaDe kos hain tanhaai ke aur kuchh duur talak lutf-e-safar hai ye bhi kyaa hai main jis ke tajassus mein pareshaan bhi huun 'zeb' kuchh haath na aaegaa khabar hai ye bhi"

"bahaar kaun si tujh mein jamaal-e-yaar na thi mushaahida thaa tiraa sair-e-laala-zaar na thi mahakti zulfon se khoshe gulon ke chhuT gire kuchh aur jaise ki gunjaaish-e-bahaar na thi ham apne dil hi ko rote the lekin is ke liye jahaan mein kaun si shai thi jo be-qaraar na thi talaash ek bahaana thaa khaak uDaane kaa pata chalaa ki hamein justuju-e-yaar na thi jhukaa hai qadmon mein tere vo sar ki jis ke liye koi jagah bhi munaasib sivaae daar na thi na jaane 'zeb' dil-e-zaar kyuun taDap uTThaa havaa-e-subh thi khushbu-e-zulf-e-yaar na thi"

"vo mujhe zindagi bataataa hai phir bhalaa kyon nazar churaataa hai main usi ko uThaa rahaa thaa par vo mujhe hi faqat giraataa hai yaad us ko kiyaa yahaan main ne par mujhe vo vahaan bhulaataa hai raaz saare bataa diye main ne kyon magar raaz vo chhupaataa hai log masruf hain mohabbat mein aur vo dil miraa dukhaataa hai"

"tere tasavvuraat se aage nahin gayaa ye dil tavahhumaat se aage nahin gayaa jo biich raah chhoD gayaa shukr hai vo shakhs meri tavaqqu'aat se aage nahin gayaa shaayad use pasand thiin jhuTi numaaishein lekin main dil ki baat se aage nahin gayaa jazbaat-e-dil ko vo bhi na kuchh Dhang de sakaa main bhi takallufaat se aage nahin gayaa tohfa bhi us ke vaaste kangan liyaa 'zarim' vallah main us ke haath se aage nahin gayaa"

"taavil-e-ahd-e-fan hi to vahshat kaa hal nahin pesh-e-nazar junun hai yaaro ghazal nahin ab is ke baad ahd ki taarik raat hai ye ikhtitaam-e-shaam hai subh-e-azal nahin ai dost ishq mansab-e-fahm-o-shuur hai ye irtiqaa hai zehn kaa koi khalal nahin ik umr ratjagon ki aziyyat mein kaaT di ab mere khvaab niind kaa radd-e-amal nahin kyaa kyaa ataa-e-neamat-e-rabb-e-karim hai lekin 'samir' dard kaa nemul-badal nahin"

"na koi dost ho meraa na ho adu meraa tum apne munh se agar kah do mujh ko tu meraa fasurdagi mein junun-e-havaa-e-gul yaani khizaan ke daur mein saudaa-e-rang-o-bu meraa jo tum nahin to bahaar-e-jinaan mein khaak nahin bahut vasia hai daamaan-e-aarzu meraa nibhegi ai dil-e-aavaara ab na tujh se miri bas aaj se na main teraa huun aur na tu meraa banaa rahe hain vo jalve ki apne tasvirein dikhaa dikhaa ke tamaashaa-e-rang-o-bu meraa kisi ki zulf-e-siyah kah rahi hai khul khul kar ghaTaa ne rang uDaayaa hai hu-ba-hu meraa mah-e-siyaam kaa aur intizaam kyaa karte janaab-e-shaikh uDaa le gae subu meraa jafaa kaa rang judaa hai vafaa kaa rang judaa malo na dast-e-hinaai mein tum lahu meraa taDap rahi hai jo abr-e-siyaah mein bijli firaaq mein yahi naqsha thaa hu-ba-hu meraa suhaani raat hai chhiTki hai chaandni 'muztar' miri nigaah mein phirtaa hai maah-ru meraa"

"zindagi bojhal hui aazaar se jism jhuktaa jaa rahaa hai baar se doston ne is qadar dhoke diye aur raghbat baDh gai aghyaar se zindagi kaa ik nayaa imkaan huaa ik daricha khul gayaa divaar se ab bayaan kaise karun rudaad-e-gham kaam mushkil hai dil-e-naa-chaar se hijr ki raaton mein bahtaa hi rahaa ek naala chashm-e-dariyaa-baar se misl-e-majnun regzaaron mein rahe sar paTakte ret ki divaar se ham asiraan-e-mohabbat hain yahaan uljhe hain ab gesu-e-khamdaar se 'qalb' teri ghazlein yuun shaadaan karein dard nikle hai tire ashaar se"

"chaahe khoTe hain yaa khare hain ham Dast-e-qudrat ke laaDle hain ham 'aks-e-rafta ko dekhiye saahib kitne maa'sum lag rahe hain ham raat jivan kaa giit gaati hai khvaab-e-tanvim dekhte hain ham 'umr lag jaaegi sanbhalne mein kis bulandi se yuun gire hain ham ek hangaam hai taghayyur kaa kunj-e-nisyaan mein paDe hain ham ab bhi mehndi kaa rang gahraa hai sandalin haath par rache hain ham ik tamaashaa hai kaar-zaar-e-hayaat dekh kar ser ho chuke hain ham jhilmilaate hain aarzu ke kanval dil-jharoke se jhaankte hain ham"