Waqt ne cheen lia hausla-e-zabt’e-sitam Ab to’ her hadsaye-gham pe tarapta hai dil

Poetess:Meena Kumari

Pyar Ik Khuwaab Tha

Waqt ne cheen lia hausla-e-zabt’e-sitam

Ab to’ her hadsaye-gham pe tarapta hai dil

Her nay’e zakhm pae bhi rooh bilakh uth’ti hai

Hon’t agar han’s bhji pare’n a’nkh chalak uth’ti hai

Zindagi ek bikharta hua dardana hai

Aisa lagta hai k ab khatm par afsana hai

Love was a Dream

Time has snatched away my fortitude

Now my heart agitates at each advent of grief

My soul bursts into tears at each fresh affliction

Smile on the lips is no detterent to tears in the eyes

Life is a scattered tale of grief

And my story is nearing its end.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 20^th, 2014.