jahaan-e-dard mein insaaniyat ke naate se — Shaad Aarfi

jab chali apnon ki gardan par chali
chuum luun munh aap ki talvaar kaa

shaikh par haath uThaane ke nahin ham qaael
haath uThaane ki jo Thaani hai to baatil se uThaa

ab unhein tashrif laanaa chaahiye
raat mein likhti hai raani raat ki

kahin fitrat badal sakti hai naamon ke badalne se
janaab-e-shaikh ko main barhaman kah duun to kyaa hogaa

dekh kar shaair ne us ko nukta-e-hikmat kahaa
aur be-soche zamaane ne use ''aurat'' kahaa

rang laaegi hamaari tang-dasti ek din
misl-e-ghaalib 'shaad' gar sab kuchh udhaar aataa gayaa

gham hai na ab khushi hai na ummid hai na yaas
sab se najaat paae zamaane guzar gae

jab ki pahlu se yaar uThtaa hai
dard be-ikhtiyaar uThtaa hai

husn jalva dikhaa gayaa apnaa
ishq baiThaa rahaa udaas kahin

gham-e-dil kaa asar har bazm mein hai
sab afsaane us afsaane se nikle

jis ne duniyaa bhar ke gham apnaae the
us ko duniyaa ne kahaa be-dard thaa

kuchh itne ho gae maanus sannaaTon se ham 'akhtar'
guzarti hai giraan apni sadaa bhi ab to kaanon par