but_kadaa kaa buto’n Khuda haafiz 
kar chuke tum nasiihate’n ham ko 

jaao bas naaseho Khuda haafiz 
aaj kuchh aur tarah par un kii 

sunate hain guftaguu Khuda haafiz 
bar yahii hai hameshaa zaKhm pe zaKhm 

dil kaa chaaraaGaro.n Khuda haafiz 
aaj hai kuchh ziyaada betaabii 

dil-e-betaab ko Khuda haafiz 
kyon hifaazat ham aur kii Dhoondhe’n 

har nafas jab ki hai Khuda haafiz 
chaahe ruKhsat ho raah-e-ishq mein aql 

ai “Zafar” jaane do Khuda haafiz

It was famously said of Emperor Shah Alam (1759-1806):
‘Sultanat-e-Shah Alam, Az Dilli te Palam,’
The kingdom of Shah Alam is from Delhi to Palam

Mirza Abu Zafar Sirajuddin Muhammad was the eldest son of the Mughal Emperor Akbar Shah II but not his favourite or chosen successor. An acknowledged Sufi master with several disciples, he was also a poet whose nom de plume was ‘Zafar’ or victor. By the time the 62-year-old Bahadur Shah II ascended the throne in 1837, the Mughal Emperor no longer received nazr (tribute) and coins issued under his name had been abolished. A titular head, his pension was much reduced and he was in debt.

Pious and spiritually inclined, he spent his time contemplating God and writing Sufiana kalam (mystical poetry) one of which describes his own plight:
Yaa mujhe afsar-e-shahaana banaaya hota
Yaa mera Taaj gayayana banaaya hota
Either you should have made me a Royal Officer
Or you should given me a Crown like a Beggar’s Bowl

In 1856, Lord Canning wrote to the British Resident of Delhi: “A lot of the elements of the glory of the Badshahi have finished… It is, therefore, not difficult to think that on the death of the Badshah by just a few lines on paper the title could be abolished.” With the death of Emperor Bahadur Shah II, the royal family would have to vacate the Qila e Mubarak too.

It was in this scenario that, on the morning of 11th May 1857 a group of sepoys from the Meerut cantonment of East India Army came to the Fort demanding the restoration of Bahadur Shah II as the Emperor of Hindustan. On the following day, an unused silver throne lying in one of the rooms of the Fort was dusted and brought out and Bahadur Shah II was crowned Shahenshah e Hind. The sepoys had already rebelled against the usage of cartridges for the Enfield rifle, said to be laced with fat of pig and cow. After killing British officers in Meerut, they escaped to Delhi and succeeded in capturing it.

Bahadur Shah II, though initially hesitant to join the rebel sepoys soon joined in whole-heartedly and issued a royal farman declaring it was the imperative duty of all citizens, Hindu or Mussalman to join in the uprising. From 11th May to 14th September 1857, Delhi was once again under Mughal rule. These were, as the saying goes “char din ki chandni phir andheri raat.” (Four days of moonlight and then darkness.)

These four months first witnessed the murder of the British by the rebellious sepoys and then later, retaliatory killings by the British.

Bahadur Shah Zafar personally tried to stop the murder of Europeans under his protection in the Fort. He exhorted the sepoys in the name of humanity and religion but to no avail. To a man of his temperament, this brutal bloodshed was galling:
Zafar aadmi uss ko na jaaniyega, vo ho kaisa hi sahib-e-fahm-o-zaka
Jisse aish mein yaad-e-Khuda na rahi, jisse taish mein khauf-e-Khuda na raha
Zafar doesn’t count human a man, be he a man of understanding and charity
If he doesn’t remember God in moments of happiness, or doesn’t fear God when angry.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/Images/popup/2015/5/combo-eastindia-eastindia.jpg

The Ajitgarh mutiny memorial (left) in Delhi; Miniature of Bahadur Shah Zafar, Mughal king, India. (HT File Photo)

By mid September, Delhi was back under British control. The Mutiny memorial on the Ridge in Delhi gives a timeline of the ‘Revolt’ of 1857.

The last two lines read:
Capture of the Palace – Sept 19th
City finally evacuated by the Enemy – Sept 20th
Ai vaaye inqilaab zamaane ke jaur se
Dilli Zafar ke haath se pal mein nikal gayi
Alas! What a revolution, due to cruelty of the age
Delhi slipped out of Zafar’s hands in a moment

On 21st September 1857, the British were ensconced in the Red Fort and the Emperor and his sons fled, seeking refuge in Humayun’s Tomb.

The following day, the Emperor’s close confidant, Mirza Ilahi Bux, disclosed his whereabouts to the British. Major Hodson negotiated the surrender and took his captives back to the Red Fort. On the way, the major ordered Bahadur Shah Zafar’s sons Mirza Mughal and Mirza Khizr Khan and his grandson Mirza Abu Bakr to descend from the carriage and disrobe. He then shot them dead at Khooni Darwaza near Firoz Shah Kotla.

It is said that after his defeat, Bahadur Shah Zafar announced:
Ghaaziyon min bu rahegi jab talak imaan ki
Takht-e-London tak chalegi tégh Hindustan ki
As long as there remains the scent of faith in the hearts of the valiant
The sword of Hindustan shall flash from here till the throne of London

The reality was different. The Emperor was held prisoner in a dingy room of his ancestral fort during the summer of despair for the residents of Shahjahanabad (Old Delhi), when numerous residents of the walled city were either killed or rendered homeless.
Zafar’s poem on the travails of his city became so popular that the British banned it:

Gayi yak ba yak jo hawa palat, nahin dil ko mere qaraar hai.
Karu’n iss sitam ka main kya bayan, mera gham se seena figar hai.
The winds of fate changed suddenly, my heart is inconsolable
How can I describe the pain, my chest is heavy with melancholy

yeh riyaya-e-Hind tabah hui,Kahu’n kya jo un pe jafaa huyi.
Jisse dekha hakim-i-waqt ne, Kaha yeh to qabil-i-daar hai.
Indians have been ruined, one can’t describe their oppression
The new rulers condemned everyone they saw worthy of the gallows

On 27 January 1858 the Emperor of Hindustan was tried for “rebellion, treason and murder” by a Military Commission in the same Diwan e Khaas where he used to recite his poems to great applause.
On March 9, it was decided that Bahadur Shah Zafar would be exiled. Seven months later, he was exiled to Rangoon in Burma with two of his wives, two remaining sons and a few servants.
kar chuke tum nasiihate’n ham ko?
jaao bas naaseho Khudaa hafiz
Have you done giving me sermons?
O admonisher stop now, Khudaa hafiz

Bahadur Shah Zafar, the last Mughal emperor, died at 5am on Friday, 7 November 1862 and was given a hurried and ignominious burial in Rangoon.
Kitna hai badnaseeb Zafar, dafn ke liye
Do gaz zameen bhi mil na saki ku-e-yaar mein
How unlucky is Zafar, for burial
He could not get 2 yards of land in the land of the Beloved

Note: All poems are by Bahadur Shah Zafar
( published in Hindustan Times http://www.hindustantimes.com/art-and-culture/exploring-the-last-mughal-s-poetry-as-it-intertwined-with-his-life/story-4don4vBnTGNuaDT1wHhQmK.html)

It was on 17th May 1648 that Emperor Shah Jahan entered the Qila e Mubarak (The Blessed Fort) through the gate facing the River Yamuna.

This fort built in the city of Delhi named after him- Shahjahanabad- was his legacy to Delhi. A magnificent Fort from where the Mughal Empire would be ruled. It was to be an enduring symbol of Mughal power and glory in the whole world.

Unfortunately for him, though the Fort now called Red Fort is still a symbol of Indian power, the Mughal legacy didn’t last very long. The Empire disintegrated after the death of his son Aurangzeb with the defeat of Mughal forces in The Battle of Buxar in 1764 legalizing the position of East India Company in India. The British even got the right to collect revenue from Bengal, Bihar and Orissa.

It was famously said for Emperor Shah Alam (1759-1806) :

‘Sultanat-e-Shah Alam, Az Dilli te Palam,’

The kingdom of Shah Alam is from Delhi to Palam

Mirza Abu Zafar Sirajuddin Muhammad was the eldest son of the Mughal Emperor Akbar Shah II but not his favourite or chosen successor. He was a Sufi in his inclinations and had taken the oath of allegiance with the famous Sufi master of his era Maulana Qutbuddin. In fact Zafar himself was an acknowledged Sufi master and had several disciples himself. He would distribute charms and amulets to the afflicted and desirous. He was a poet of note and his nom de plume was ‘Zafar’ or victor.

He ascended the throne in 1837 at the age of 62, with the title of Bahadur Shah II, at a time when the Mughal Emperor no longer received nazr (tribute) and coins issued under his name have been abolished. There was no reference to the Badshah in the seals of the Governor and he was reduced to being just a titular head. His pension had been reduced and as per legend he was in debt to local moneylenders to sustain himself and the large royal family. The pious and spiritually inclined Emperor had all the time in the world for himself and to spend it in devotion of God and writing Sufiana kalam (mystical poetry).

The poet Emperor describes his own plight:

Yaa mujhe afsar-e-shahaana banaaya hota

Yaa mera Taaj gayayana banaaya hota

Either you should have made me a Royal Officer

Or you should given me a Crown like a Beggar’s Bowl

An account of the events of 1857 written by Khwaja Hasan Nizami in Urdu called ‘Begumaat ke Aansoo’ ( Tears of the Begums) describes a typical day of the Emperor in his Diwan e Khaas (Hall of Private Audience). This was the same hall where his ancestor Shah Jahan sat on his peacock throne and dispensed on matters of state.

The mace bearers would announce that ‘Zill-e-Ilahi’ ( shadow of God on earth) was about to distinguish the gathering with his exalted presence and the Shadow of the very institution of Emperors, Bahadur Shah Zafar would seat himself on the marble throne there and after formalities of greetings were over, would announce that he had written a new ‘ghazal’ and would recite its first verse.

The nobles would immediately raise their voices in enthusiasm and as the Emperor read each verse, one noble would approach the throne and praise it in flowery prose.

Perhaps it was his own Sufi leanings and piety, which helped the aging monarch to come to terms with his tenuous position.

Kah do in hasrato’n se kahin aur jaa base’n

Itni jagah kahan hai dil-e-daagdaar mein

Tell these desires to find another abode

Where is the place in this wounded heart

There is something ironic in the fact that as the flame of the Mughal Empire was flickering and dying out, there was a literary and cultural resurgence and the shamma –e- firozaan (lamp presented before poets at start of a mushaira or poetic soiree as a sign for them to read their poems) of poetry was burning the brightest.

This was the period when seven of the brightest stars in the firmament of Urdu poetry were glittering in Delhi led by Mirza Ghalib. These included the Emperor’s own master Ustad Ibrahim Zauq and Momin Khan Momin. In the words of one of his own very popular ghazals:

Baat karni mujhe mushkil kabhi aisi tau naa thi

Jaisi ab hai teri mehfil kabhi aisi tau na thi

( Never was it so difficult for me to speak

Never was your gathering as now at its peak)

In 1856, Lord Canning added the last nail to the coffin by writing to the British Resident in Delhi, “A lot of the elements of the glory of the Badshahi have finished and it is no longer as bright as it was. Most of the rights of the Badshah have finished. It is, therefore, not difficult to think that on the death of the Badshah by just a few lines on paper the title could be abolished.”

It was planned that on the death of Emperor Bahadur Shah II the Mughal royal family would have to vacate the Qila e Mubarak too.

Hamne duniyaa mein aake kyaa dekhaa

Dekhaa jo kuchh so Khwaab-saa dekhaa

On coming into this world, what did I see?

Whatever I saw it was like a dream

It was in this scenario that on the morning of 11th May 1857 a group of sepoys from the Meerut cantonment of East India Army came to the Fort demanding the restoration of Bahadur Shah II as the Emperor of Hindustan, under whose banner they would fight the British usurpers.

On 12th May 1857 an unused silver throne lying in one of the rooms of the Fort was dusted and brought out and Bahadur Shah II was crowned the Shahenshah e Hind. He was the people’s choice under whom men of all region, religion and profession were gathering to restore the pride of Hindustan.

The sepoys had already rebelled against the usage of cartridges for the Enfield rifle, which was said to be laced with fat of pig and cow. After killing the British officers in Meerut they escaped to Delhi and succeeded in capturing it.

Though initially hesitant to join the rebel sepoys he was persuaded and then joined in whole-heartedly. Bahadur Shah II issued a royal farman declaring it was the imperative duty of all his citizens, Hindu or Mussalman to join in the uprising.

From 11th May to 14th September 1857, Delhi was once again under Mughal rule: as the saying goes

“char din ki chandni phir andheri raat.”

Four days of moonlight and then darkness.

These four months saw murder and mayhem first of the British and Europeans by the rebellious sepoys and then the British.

Bahadur Shah Zafar personally tried to stop the murder of the Europeans under his protection in the Fort. He exhorted the sepoys in the name of humanity and religion but to no avail.

To a man of his temperament this unnecessary and brutal bloodshed was galling:

Zafar aadmi uss ko na jaaniyega, vo ho kaisa hi sahib-e-fahm-o-zaka

Jisse aish mein yaad-e-Khuda na rahi, jisse taish mein khauf-e-Khuda na raha

Zafar don’t count human a man, be he a man of understanding and charity

If he doesn’t remember God in moments of happiness, or doesn’t fear God when angry.

By mid September the tide of fortune changed in the favour of the British troops and their ‘native allies’. Delhi was back under their control.

The Mutiny memorial on the Ridge in Delhi gives a timeline of the ‘Revolt’ of 1857.

The last two lines read :

Capture of the Palace – Sept 19th

City finally evacuated by the Enemy – Sept 20th

Ai vaaye inqilaab zamaane ke jaur se

Dilli Zafar ke haath se pal mein nikal gayi

Alas! What a revolution, due to cruelty of the age

Delhi slipped out of Zafar’s hands in a moment

On 21st September 1857 the British were ensconced in the Red Fort while the Emperor and his sons fled to Humayun’s Tomb to seek refuge.

‘Capture of the King of Delhi by Captain Hodson’, 1858.
(though technically it was a surrender as the Emperor could easily have defended the fortified tomb against the 100 odd British soldiers.)
Bahadur Shah II, last Mughal emperor of India, in the custody of a British cavalry officer.

On 22nd September, the Emperor and his sons were betrayed by his close confidant Mirza Ilahi Bux who disclosed his whereabouts to the British and advised him to surrender to the British forces. Major Hodson negotiated surrender with the Emperor and took back his captives to the Red Fort.

On the way Major Hodson, ordered the two sons of Bahadur Shah Zafar : Mirza Mughal , Mirza Khizr Khan and grandson Mirza Abu Bakr to descend from the carriage and disrobe. He then shot them in cold blood at Khooni Darwaza near Firoz Shah Kotla.

It is said that after his defeat he said

Ghaaziyon min bu rahegi jab talak imaan ki

Takht-e-London tak chalegi tégh Hindustan ki

As long as there remains the scent of faith in the hearts of the valiant

The sword of Hindustan shall flash from here till the throne of London

However the reality was different. The British in preparation for a trial, held the Emperor as a prisoner in a dark and dingy room of his ancestral Fort.

A summer of despair began for the residents of Shahjahanabad (Old Delhi). The men and women of the walled city were either killed or rendered homeless.

Zafar wrote a poem on the travails of his city while in British captivity. That poem became so popular amongst the hapless populace of Delhi that the British banned it.

Gayi yak ba yak jo hawa palat, nahin dil ko mere qaraar hai.

Karu’n iss sitam ka main kya bayan, mera gham se seena figar hai.

(The winds of fate changed suddenly, my heart is inconsolable

How can I describe the pain, my chest is heavy with melancholy

yeh riyaya-e-Hind tabah hui,Kahu’n kya jo un pe jafaa huyi.

Jisse dekha hakim-i-waqt ne, Kaha yeh to qabil-i-daar hai.

Indians have been ruined, one can’t describe their oppression

The new rulers condemned everyone they saw worthy of the gallows

From 27 January 1858 the Emperor of Hindustan went on trial for “rebellion, treason and murder” by a Military Commission in the same Diwan e Khaas where he used to recite his poems to great applause.

The prosecutor declared “To Musalman intrigues and Mahommedan conspiracy we may mainly attribute the dreadful calamities of the year 1857. The Mutineers were in immediate connection with the prisoner at your bar,”

On March 9 at the sentence was pronounced that “the prisoner, as the head of the Mahomedan faith in India, has been connected with the organization of that conspiracy, either as its leader or its unscrupulous accomplice…” It was decided that he would be exiled and not given a death sentence as Major Hodson had guaranteed him safety of life.

Seven months later Bahadur Shah Zafar was exiled to Rangoon in Burma along with two of his wives and two remaining sons and a few servants.

kar chuke tum nasiihate’n ham ko?

jaao bas naaseho Khudaa hafiz

Have you done giving me sermons?

O admonisher stop now, Khudaa hafiz

On Friday, 7 November 1862 at 5 am, he breathed his last under house arrest was given a hurried and ignominious burial in Rangoon.

Kitna hai badnaseeb Zafar, dafn ke liye

Do gaz zameen bhi mil na saki ku-e-yaar mein

How unlucky is Zafar, for burial

He could not get 2 yards of land in the land of the Beloved

Note : All poems are by Bahadur Shah Zafar ( only 2 sayings are common lore which I have stated)

http://www.hindustantimes.com/art/exploring-the-last-mughal-s-poetry-as-it-intertwined-with-his-life/article1-1353232.aspx

This article came out in Hindustan Times on 31st May 2015

They fall into the category of nazms and had to be in meter.

Of course the most famous sehra is the one by Mirza Ghalib (1797-1869) in which he took a dig at the Emperor’s Ustad, Sheikh Ibrahim Zauq (1788/9-1854). Zauq was given the title of Khaqani e Hind and drew a nominal salary of Rs 4/. The respect and position that he gained as a result was immense. It also gave him free access to the Qila e Moalla (Red Fort). This was a constant thorn in the side of Mirza Ghalib who always felt he was better and should have got a royal position too. He never let go of any chance to score poetic points over his rival.

It was the last grand Mughal wedding on 2^nd April 1852 – that of Badshah Bahadur Shah Zafar’s son Jawan Bakht by his favourite and youngest wife Zeenat Mahal to Nawab Shah Zamani Begum.

Begum Zeenat Begum asked Ghalib to write a ‘sehra’ for her son, Mirza Jawan Bakth’s wedding. The honour should have gone to Sheikh Ibrahim Zauq but he was reportedly unwell.

William  Dalrymple in his book “The Last Mughal” writes :
“The marriage procession of Prince Jawan Bakht left the Lahore Gate of the Red Fort at 2 a.m. on the hot summer night of 2 April, 1852.”
and he goes on to write that what was remembered longest and discussed most eagerly was not so much the festivities or the feasting or the fireworks, as the marraige odes recited by the Poet Laureate Zauq, and his rival Mirza Nausha, now more widely known by his pen-name Ghalib.”

“The squabble at the wedding was over a single verse in Ghalib’s sehra (or wedding oration) where he appeared–characteristically–to suggest that no one in the gathering could write a couplet as well as he…. Zafar also encouraged Zauq to reply to Ghalib’s unprovoked sally. The fine sehra that the Poet Laureate came up with ended with a couplet tossing the challenge back to Ghalib:

The person who claims poetic skills,
Recite this to him and say,
“Look–this is how a poet”

This round went to Zauq as the singers in attendance, picked  up the verse and spread it all over Shahjahanabad. By next day it was in the newspapers

This is the famous ‘clash between Mirza Ghalib and Sheikh Ibrahim Zauq over the writing of the royal ‘sehra’ ( a celebratory poem at time of a wedding in honour of the groom, It’s usually a humorous take on marriage, relatives and festivities connected with the wedding, interspersed with praises and wishes for the groom. ).

Bahadur Shah Zafar’s favorite wife, Begum Zeenat Begum asked Ghalib to write a ‘sehra’ for her son, Mirza Jawan BaKth’s wedding.

The honour should have gone to Sheikh Ibrahim Zauq but he was reportedly unwell.

Complying with the Empress’ wish, Ghalib wrote a ‘sehra’ whose maqta* was:

‘hum suKhan_fahm haiN, Ghalib ke tarafdaar nahiN
dekheN keh de koi is sehre se baRh kar sehra’ **

We are connoisseurs of  poetry, not partial to Ghalib
Let’s see if there’s anyone who can write a better ‘sehra’

The Emperor realizing that this was a dig at his mentor Zauq is said to have been displeased with the maqt’a. A slight to his mentor was seen as a slight to the Emperor himself. Zafar asked Zauq to write a ‘sehra’ as well . Not one to let go of an opportunity , Zauq included these lines:

jin ko daawa ho suKhan ka yeh sunaa do unko
dekh is taraH se kehte haiN suKhanwar sehra

Tell those who claim to be eloquent
This is how poets write a sehra

 The Fort reverberated with this clash of titans and It is recorded that the Crown Prince Mirza Fakhruddin (also a disciple of Mirza Zauq) exclaimed, “Ustaad ne maidan maar liya”

Ghalib wrote his celebrated  ‘qat’a-e-ma’azerat’ ( letter of apology) in response to the Emperor’s reaction. However, the egoistic Ghalib left no ‘verse’ unturned in adding insult to injury, using poetry as a medium to prove his supremacy. and take a dig at Zauq’s ancestry and the Emperor’s neglicience towards himself. The maqta of this ghazal became even more famous.

manzoor hai guzaarish-e-ahvaal-e-waaqa’aii
apna bayaan-e-Husn-e-tabii’yat nahiN mujhe

I accept the request to state the facts,
To praise oneself is not a habit of mine

sau pusht se, hai pesha-e-aaba sipahgari
kuchh shayari, zari’ye-e-izzat nahiN mujhe

My forefathers have been warriors for  hundred generations
By writing poetry, fame I seek  not

aazaadah rau huN, aur mira maslak hai sulH-e-kul
hargiz kabhi kisi se adaawat nahiN mujhe

I am a free spirit and my conduct is always peaceful,
I bear malice against no one

kya kam hai yeh sharaf ke Zafar ka Ghulaam huN
maana ke jaah-o-mansab-o-sarwat nahiN mujhe

Is the privilege not enough that I serve Zafar ,
Agreed rank, position and affluence I have not

ustaad-e-shah se ho mujhe parKhaash ka Khayaal
yeh taab, yeh majaal, yeh taaqat nahiN mujhe

The thought of a row with the king’s mentor
This arrogance, this audacity, this strength I have not

jaam-e-jahaaN_numa hai shahenshaah ka zameer
saugand aur gawaah ki Haajat nahiN mujhe

The king’s conscience is all encompassing,
The need for an oath and witness I have  not

sehraa likhaa gaya ze_rah-e-imtiSaal-e-amr
dekhaa ke chaarah Ghair ita’at nahiN mujhe

The sehra was written in obedience of orders,

Non compliance with that order I dare not

maqt’e meiN aa paRi hai suKhan gustaraana baat
maqsood is se qat’a-e-moHabbat nahiN mujhe

I wrote something in the maqta’ which became popular,
A reason to ending friendship I want not.

ruu-e-suKhan kisi taraf ho, tau ruu_siyaah
sauda nahiN, junooN nahiN, veHshat nahiN mujhe

If I aimed it at someone in particular then may my face be
blackened,
I am neither mad, nor crazed nor so deprived of sense.

qismat buri sahii, pa tabii’yat buri nahiN
hai shukr ki jagah, ke shikaayat nahiN mujhe

Although my luck is bad, but my habits aren’t bad,
I’m in a place of thankfulness and complain I do not.

saadiq huN apne qaul meiN Ghalib Khuda_gawaah
kehta huN sach ke jhooT ki a’adat nahiN mujhe

Always true to his word is Ghalib, as God is my witness,
I tell you the truth as lie I do not.

*The maqta is the last verse of a ghazal  in which the poet’s takhallus, or pen name, is employed

This is the original sehra written by Ghalib for Mirza Jawan Bakht

Here is the ‘sehra’ written by Ghalib for the wedding of Bahadur Shah Zafar’s
son Javan Bakht.

Khush ho ai baKht ke hai aaj tere sar sehraa
baaNdh shahazada Javaa.N baKht ke sar par seharaa

[baKht = luck; pun on Groom’s name]

kyaa hii is chaaNd se mukhaDe pe bhalaa lagataa hai
hai tere husn-e-dil_afroz kaa zevar sehraa

[husn-e-dil_afroz = beauty that lights up the heart]

sar pe chaDhnaa tujhe phabataa hai par ai tarf-e-kulaah
mujhko Dar hai ke na chhiine tera lambar sehraa

[phabataa =  suits]

nav bhar kar hii piroye gaye honge motii
varnaa kyun laaye hain kishtii mein lagaakar sehraa

saat dariyaa ke faraaham kiye honge motii
tab banaa hogaa is andaaz kaa gaz bhar sehraa

ruKh pe dulhaa ke jo garmii se pasiinaa Tapakaa
hai rag-e-abr-e-guharabaar saraasar sehraa

ye bhii ik be’adabii thii ke qabaa se baDh jaaye
rah gayaa aan ke daaman ke baraabar sehraa

jii me.n itaraaye.N na motii ke hamii.n hai.n ik chiiz
chaahiye phuulon ko bhii ek mukarrar sehraa

jab ke apane mein samaave’n na Khushii mein maare
guu.Ndhe phuulon kaa bhalaa phir koii kyuu.Nkar sehraa

ruKh-e-raushan kii damak gauhar-e-Galtaa kii chamak
kyuN na dikhalaaye faroG-e-maah-o-aKhtar sehraa

taar resham kaa nahii.n hai ye rag-e-abr-e-bahaar
laayegaa taab-e-giraa.Nbaari-e-gauhar sehraa

ham suKhan_faham hain “Ghalib” ke tarafadaar nahii.n
dekhe.n is sehare se kah de koii ba.Dhakar sehraa

[suKhan_faham = patron of poetry/ kaavyaa parakhane vaalaa

ZAUQ’s SEHRA

Ai Javaan Bakht mubarak tujhe sar par sehra

Aaj hai Yaman wa Sada’t ka tere sar sehra

Aaj woh din hai ke laaye durr e anjum se falak

Kashti e zar mah e nau ke lagakar sehra

Tabish husn se manind shua e khursheed

Rukh e pur noor pe hai tere munawwar sehra

Woh kahe Salle Alay eh kahe SubhanAllah

Dekhe mukhade pe jot ere mah o akhtar sehra

Taa banni aur banne mein rahe ikhlas baham

Goondhiye sura e ikhlas padhkar sehra

Dhoom hai gulshan e afaaq mein is sehre ki

Gaaye’n marghaan e nava sanj na kyunkar sehra

Ru e farkh pe jo hain tere baraste anwar

Taar e barish se bana ek sarasar sehra

Ek ko ek pe tazai’n hai dam e araaish

Sir pe dastar hai, dastar ke oopar sehra

Ek gauhar bhi nahin sadgaan e gauhar mein choda

Tera banwaaya hai le leke jo gauhar sehra

Phirti khushboo se hai itraayi huyi baad e bahaar

Allah Allah re phoolo’n se moatta’r sehraa

Sar pe turra hai muzaiyyan to gale mein baddhi

Kangana haath mein zeba hai to munh par sehra

Runumayi mein tujhe de mah o khurshid o falak

Khol de munh ko jot u munh se uthakar sehra

Kasrat e taar e nazar se hai tamaashiyo’n ke

Dam e nazara tere ru e niko par sehra

Durr e khush aab e mazameen se banakar laaya

Waaste tere tera Zauq sanagar sehra

Jis ko daawa hai suKhan ka yeh sunaa de usko
Dekh is taraH se kehte haiN suKhanwar sehra