ye shahr hai anjaan kahaan raat guzaarun — Ishrat Kiratpuri

"aankhon mein mire gham ki tasvir sanjo loge ye baat na sochi thi daaman ko bhigo loge tum tark-e-taalluq ko kyuun chehre pe likh laae tum ne to kahaa ye thaa ye raaz na khologe jab meraa pata tum se puchheinge gali vaale kuchh kah to na paaoge palkon ko bhigo loge sach-much ye bataao tum kyaa mujh se bichhaD kar bhi in hijr ki raaton mein aaraam se so loge is bhiiD mein logon ki main ro bhi nahin saktaa ik tum ho ki chupke se tanhaai mein ro loge ye kaun hai jo 'ishrat' hai mere taaaqub mein itni baDi duniyaa mein kis kis ko TaTologe"

"raaton kaa karb din ki thakan mere saath hai yaadon kaa ik darida kafan mere saath hai barson se jal rahaa huun main qurbat ki aag mein naa-qaabil-e-bayaan chalan mere saath hai mere liye to saans bhi lenaa muhaal hai maahaul ki ye saari ghuTan mere saath hai aankhon mein bas gai hai kisi shaakh ki tarah har ik qadam pe yaad-e-dakan mere saath hai 'ahd-e-vafaa ko teri tarah kaise toD duun meraa mizaaj meraa chalan mere saath hai"

"the mizaajan ham bhi harjaai bahut par dakan vaalon ki yaad aai bahut dil ke milne aur luTne ke liye ek lamhe ki shanaasaai bahut ban gae hain aaj vo naa-aashnaa jin se thi kal tak shanaasaai bahut jab se un ki qurbatein haasil huiin baDh gai hai dil ki tanhaai bahut"

"zikr ghairon se tumhaaraa nahin hogaa mujh se ye taaaruf bhi gavaara nahin hogaa mujh se mere maulaa miri aankhon mein samundar de de chaar bundon pe guzaara nahin hogaa mujh se dauDtaa hai meri rag rag mein mohabbat kaa lahu dushmanon se bhi kinaara nahin hogaa mujh se mere ikhlaas ki yaarab tu sazaa mat denaa ye hasin jurm dobaara nahin hogaa mujh se jo haqiqat mein miraa dushman-e-jaan hai 'ishrat' hijr us kaa bhi gavaara nahin hogaa mujh se"

"barson tapish-e-gham mein ye ehsaas jale hai tab jaa ke kahin she'r ke saanche mein Dhale hai kuchh aise teri bazm mein baiThaa huun akelaa jis tarah sar-e-raah koi shama jale hai allaah kisi shakhs ko rusvaa na kare yuun mujh se miraa saaya bhi to ab bach ke chale hai is manzil-e-dushvaar se hans hans ke guzar jaa pagle kahin rone se shab-e-hijr Dhale hai har roz nayaa ruup badalti hai teri yaad aahon mein Dhale hai kabhi ashkon mein Dhale hai har shahr mein hone lagi angusht-numaai rusvaai miri mujh se bhi kuchh aage chale hai ik roz use TuuT hi jaanaa thaa bahar-haal dil toD ke tu kyuun kaf-e-afsos male hai"

"mummy banaa ke na show-case mein sajaao mujhe main ek laash huun dafnaao yaa jalaao mujhe ye maslahat hi nahin vaqt kaa taqaaza hai khushi ke din ki tarah tum bhi bhuul jaao mujhe tumhaare saath to chalne mein koi harj nahin magar khudaa ke liye raah to bataao mujhe main vo mataa' huun jis kaa nahin koi vaaris 'aziz dosto chupke se bech khaao mujhe puraane aaine chehron ko chaaT lete hain jo ho sake to nayaa aaina dikhaao mujhe main ban na jaaun kisi ajnabi kaa hamraahi paraae des mein yuun chhoD ke na jaao mujhe"

"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"