muddat se laapata hai khudaa jaane kyaa huaa — Akhtar Saeed Khan

"balaa-e-tira-shabi kaa javaab le aae bujhe charaagh to ham aaftaab le aae bikhar gae jo kabhi chashm-e-intizaar ke rang is anjuman se ham ik aur khvaab le aae ham is zamin pe mizaan-e-adl rakhte hain kaho zamaane se fard-e-hisaab le aae har ek gham se salaamat guzar gayaa hai dil khudaa kare ki mohabbat ki taab le aae gae the ham bhi in aankhon se maangne kyaa kyaa vahi huaa ki bas ik iztiraab le aae hamaari laghzish-e-paiham ko raaegaan na samajh ajab nahin ki yahi inqalaab le aae na laae kuchh bhi ham aashob-e-dahr mein 'akhtar' bas ek hausla-e-iztiraab le aae"

"na aap aae na bedaad-e-intizaar gai ye raat phir miri aankhon se aaj haar gai liye hue koi afsaana-e-bahaar gai sabaa chaman se bahut aaj sogvaar gai hui jo subh to ashkon se jagmagaa uTThi jo aai shaam to yaadon se mushk-baar gai isi nigaah ne maaraa alam-paraston ko vahi nigaah miri zindagi sanvaar gai zamin-e-ku-e-malaamat bhi khair raah mein thi kahaan kahaan liye mauj-e-khiraam-e-yaar gai"

"mauj-e-shamim hain na khiraam-e-sabaa hain ham Thahri hui gulon ke labon par duaa hain ham begaana khalq se hain na tujh se khafaa hain ham ai zindagi muaaf ki dair-aashnaa hain ham is raaz ko bhi faash kar ai chashm-e-dil-navaaz kaanTaa khaTak rahaa hai ye dil mein ki kyaa hain ham yaarab tiraa kamaal-e-hunar ham pe khatm hai yaa sirf mashq-e-naaz kaa ik tajraba hain ham aakhir tire suluk ne jhuTlaa diyaa ise ik zoam thaa hamin ki saraapaa vafaa hain ham kal is zamin pe utreinge phulon ke qaafile ik paikar-e-bahaar ki aavaaz-e-paa hain ham"

"didani hai zakhm-e-dil aur aap se parda bhi kyaa ik zaraa nazdik aa kar dekhiye aisaa bhi kyaa ham bhi naa-vaaqif nahin aadaab-e-mahfil se magar chikh uThein khaamoshiyaan tak aisaa sannaaTaa bhi kyaa khud hamin jab dast-e-qaatil ko duaa dete rahe phir koi apni sitamgaari pe sharmaataa bhi kyaa jitne aaine the sab TuuTe hue the saamne shishagar baaton se apni ham ko bahlaataa bhi kyaa ham ne saari zindagi ik aarzu mein kaaT di farz kiije kuchh nahin khoyaa magar paayaa bhi kyaa be-mahaabaa tujh se aksar saamnaa hotaa rahaa zindagi tu ne mujhe dekhaa na ho aisaa bhi kyaa be-talab ik justuju si be-sabab ik intizaar umr-e-be-paayaan kaa itnaa mukhtasar qissa bhi kyaa ghair se bhi jab milaa 'akhtar' to hans kar hi milaa aadmi achchhaa ho lekin is qadar achchhaa bhi kyaa"

"main ne maanaa ek na ik din lauT ke tu aa jaaegaa lekin tujh bin umr jo guzri kaun use lauTaaegaa hijr ke sadme us kaa taghaaful baatein hain sab kahne ki kuchh bhi na mujh ko yaad rahegaa jab vo gale lag jaaegaa khvaab-e-vafaa aankhon mein basaae phirtaa hai kyaa divaane taabirein pathraav kareingi jab tu khvaab sunaaegaa kitni yaadein kitne qisse naqsh hain in divaaron par chalte chalte dekh lein muD kar kaun yahaan phir aaegaa baad-e-bahaari itnaa bataa de saada-dilaan-e-mausam ko sarf-e-chaman jo khuun huaa hai rang vo kab tak laaegaa"

"nairangi-e-nashaat-e-tamannaa ajiib hai kuchh shaam se qafas mein ujaalaa ajiib hai sharmaa rahe hain taar-e-garebaan-e-chaak-e-dil kuchh din se rang-e-laala-e-sahraa ajiib hai har khvaab-e-e'tibaar shikaston se chuur hai dil mein magar ghurur-e-tamannaa ajiib hai saaraa badan hai dhuup mein jhulsaa huaa magar dil par jo paD rahaa hai vo saaya ajiib hai pheinke nahin hain aaj talak reza-haa-e-dil TuuTe taalluqaat kaa rishta ajiib hai jab tak nazar na kijiye yak qatra khuun hai dil lekin jo dekhiye to ye duniyaa ajiib hai 'akhtar' ye tere paanv ke kaanTe nae nahin kaanTon se kheltaa huaa chhaalaa ajiib hai"

"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"

"jis din se meraa khvaab suhaanaa badal gayaa us din se zindagi kaa fasaana badal gayaa sunne lagaa huun jab se nasihat baDon ki main jaari thaa jo labon pe taraana badal gayaa pahchaan kaa havaala bhi baaqi nahin rahaa chehre ke saath aaina-khaana badal gayaa uThti nahin hai aankh bhi ab aasmaan ki samt jab se gali kaa chaand puraanaa badal gayaa tahzib jin ke ghar ki 'alaamat thi kal talak afsos aaj un kaa gharaanaa badal gayaa 'azmat kaa taaj sar pe hai 'akhilesh' ke sajaa aisi havaa chali ki zamaana badal gayaa itni sharaafaton mein kami aa gai hai aaj pahle thaa jo libaas puraanaa badal gayaa ahl-e-vafaa ne jis ki thi taarikh ki raqam 'faaruq' 'ishq kaa vo fasaana badal gayaa"

"tirgi shama bani raahguzar mein aai saaat ik aisi bhi kal apne safar mein aai jis jagah chehra hi meyaar-e-vafaa Thahraa hai khaak hi khaak vahaan dast-e-hunar mein aai teri nazron mein thi duniyaa to yahi kyaa kam thaa hashr ye hai ki tu duniyaa ki nazar mein aai baar-haa yaaron ne saahil se kahaa thaa ham hain baar-haa naav magar apni bhanvar mein aai zindagi samjhun ise yaa ki ise maut kahun vo jo mehmaan ki surat mire ghar mein aai yuun bhi taarikh ki taarikh raqam hoti hai nikli taarikh mahal se to khanDar mein aai khvaab hi khvaab ki taabir huaa to jaanaa zindagi kyuun kisi aankhon ke asar mein aai shama jalte hi bujhi aur dhuaan aisaa uThaa lazzat-e-shaam yahaan khvaab-e-sahar mein aai zindagi kuchh hai 'ataa' sher-o-adab hai kuchh aur ye do-rangi ki vabaa kaisi hunar mein aai"

"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"

"zindagi dushvaar hogi ye kabhi sochaa na thaa vo bagule gham ke uTThe jin kaa andesha na thaa saamne tum aa gae ho to bataa duun jaan-e-jaan jaise dil dhaDkaa thaa ab ki vaise dil dhaDkaa na thaa ye iraada kar liyaa thaa ham na bichhDeinge kabhi TuTeinge ik pal mein rishte ye kabhi sochaa na thaa yaad-e-maazi miT rahi hai vaqt ki raftaar se ab tasavvur mein hamaare koi bhi chehra na thaa sakht hairat ho rahi hai dekh kar apnaa vajud dhuup mein the sab ke saaye par miraa saayaa na thaa shauq-e-manzil dekh meri dekh meraa hausla shahr-e-dil ke raaston mein main kabhi Thahraa na thaa 'qalb' ko sahraa-navardi raas kyaa aati bhalaa vo kabhi aavaargi mein dar-ba-dar bhaTkaa na thaa"

"jaagte hi nazar akhbaar mein kho jaati hai zindagi dard ke ambaar mein kho jaati hai naa-khudaa aql ke patvaar uThaataa hai ki jab kashti-e-dil miri manjdhaar mein kho jaati hai be-sabab sochne vaale kabhi sochaa tu ne aagahi kasrat-e-afkaar mein kho jaati hai uDte rahte hain khayaalaat ke jugnu phir bhi baat kyuun parda-e-izhaar mein kho jaati hai us ke kaamon kaa hai rangin khushaamad pe madaar aur mehnat miri isaar mein kho jaati hai hurmat-e-parda zaruri hai 'ataa-ji' varna chiiz jaisi bhi ho baazaar mein kho jaati hai"