surkhi-e-rang-e-shafaq nur-e-sahar le ke chalo — Athar Ziai

"jab se tu kaaba-e-dil mein hai sanam ki surat dair mujh ko nazar aataa hai haram ki surat is qadar chuur hai aaina-e-ehsaas miraa ab na vo rang-e-masarrat hai na gham ki surat ye haqiqat hai mohabbat bhi asar karti hai kabhi tiryaak ki surat kabhi sam ki surat raamish-o-rang se hai shahr-e-nigaaraan maamur dil hai viraan magar shahr-e-adam ki surat is qadar vaqt ke suraj ne tapaayaa 'athar' ro diye dekh ke ham abr-e-karam ki surat"

"kam kisi kushta-e-aalaam ki pursish ki hai varna duniyaa ne to khud apni parastish ki hai ham hi kam fahm the samjhe sitam ijaad tumhein tum ne to ham pe inaayaat ki baarish ki hai sach to ye hai ki baraabar ke hain mujrim donon aap ki nazron ne dil se mire saazish ki hai zindagi qarz samajh kar main jiye jaataa huun ab tamanna na sile ki na sataaish ki hai hain bahut ahl-e-karam yuun to zamin par 'athar' baat kuchh aur magar us ki navaazish ki hai"

"farogh-e-kasrat-e-jalva se khud tamaashaa huun main us ke saamne baiThaa huun aur tanhaa huun nigaah-e-shauq-o-dil-e-muztarib hain zaad-e-safar shikasta-paa huun sar-e-rahguzaar baiThaa huun baDhaaun dast-e-talab kyaa ki zarf maane hai lab-e-furaat khaDaa huun main aur pyaasaa huun main apni zaat mein ik kaaenaat huun khud bhi agarche zarra huun lekin muhit-e-sahraa huun bikhertaa huun fazaaon mein qahqahe 'athar' mataa'-e-dard ko dil mein chhupaae phirtaa huun"

"yahi nahin ki faqat baam-o-dar se bach ke chalun talaash-e-yaar mein shams-o-qamar se bach ke chalun ye rang-o-nur hain daaman-kash-e-hayaat magar hai maslahat kaa taqaazaa udhar se bach ke chalun ye pech-o-kham ye nasheb-o-faraaz-e-raah-e-hayaat kahaan se ho ke chalun aur kidhar se bach ke chalun jo saath de na sake taa-harim-e-jalva-e-naaz main chaahtaa huun har us rahguzar se bach ke chalun jahaan jabin ko na haasil ho rifat-e-aflaak us aastaane se us sang-e-dar se bach ke chalun main mutmain nahin raftaar-e-kaarvaan se hanuz khataa muaaf agar raahbar se bach ke chalun main rang-e-gardish-e-dauraan ko dekh kar 'athar' ye sochtaa huun ki shaam-o-sahar se bach ke chalun"

"charaagh-e-anjuman ko ye khabar kyaa ki manzil kyaa hai aur rasm-e-safar kyaa safar mein fikr-e-raahat is qadar kyaa sajaae hain ye tum ne baam-o-dar kyaa nahin gardish mein ab shams-o-qamar kyaa na badleinge mire shaam-o-sahar kyaa khulus-e-ijz hai ik shart-e-sajda kisi kaa naqsh-e-paa kyaa sang-e-dar kyaa mashiyyat kaar-farmaa-e-do-aalam to phir ye nek bad kyaa khair-o-shar kyaa baDhi hai vaqt ki raftaar kaisi hui hai zindagaani mukhtasar kyaa adaa-e-shukr bhi laazim hai 'athar' rahegaa shikva-bar-lab umr bhar kyaa"

"chaman hai kaisaa ye kaisi bahaar hai saaqi lahu se sehn-e-chaman laala-zaar hai saaqi ye chira-dasti-e-ahl-e-junun maaaz-allaah qabaa-e-laala-o-gul taar taar hai saaqi hai zad mein aatish-o-aahan ki shahr-e-raamish-o-rang udaas shaam sahar sogvaar hai saaqi ye zakhm zakhm badan aur ye sokhta laashein ajiib marhala-e-gir-o-daar hai saaqi ye kyaa sitam hai ki qaatil hai surakh-ru lekin huaa jo qatl vahi sharmsaar hai saaqi na jaane mausam-e-gul kaa shabaab kyaa hogaa agar ye aamad-e-fasl-e-bahaar hai saaqi bajaa ki vaqt taghayyur-pazir hai har dam magar hayaat kaa kab e'tibaar hai saaqi"

"is ishq-e-junun-khez mein kyaa kyaa nahin hotaa divaana hai jo qais se lailaa nahin hotaa kuchh hashr lahad par abhi barpaa nahin hotaa aae ho to Thahro koi zinda nahin hotaa kyuun kar ye kahun husn kaa nashsha nahin hotaa hotaa to bahut hai magar itnaa nahin hotaa kuchh kahiye to sharmaa ke jhukaa lete hain gardan bhule se bhi ab vaada-e-fardaa nahin hotaa milte hain vo dil surkh hui jaati hai chuTki naazuk hain bahut khun-e-tamannaa nahin hotaa deti hai mazaa mai kaa hamein talkhi-e-tauba jab haath mein paimaana-e-sahbaa nahin hotaa vo hashr ke din kushte ko Thukraa chuke sau-baar kuchh jaan si paD jaati hai zinda nahin hotaa boli ye tamannaa jo ruke vo dar-e-dil par ghar aap kaa hai aap se pardaa nahin hotaa tiron ko jagah dete hain jo siine mein apne un logon ke ai jaan kaleja nahin hotaa sahraa se qadam ghar ki taraf khaak uThaaun kaanTe se judaa paanv kaa chhaalaa nahin hotaa baiThe nazar aate hain vahi teri gali mein jin kaa kahin duniyaa mein Thikaanaa nahin hotaa furqat mein hai kyuun nazaa ki taklif gavaaraa mar jaaein 'riyaaz' aap se itnaa nahin hotaa"

"muzhda ai zauq-e-asiri ki nazar aataa hai daam-e-khaali qafas-e-murgh-e-giraftaar ke paas jigar-e-tishna-e-aazaar tasalli na huaa ju-e-khun ham ne bahaai bun-e-har khaar ke paas mund gaiin kholte hi kholte aankhein hai hai khuub vaqt aae tum is 'aashiq-e-bimaar ke paas main bhi ruk ruk ke na martaa jo zabaan ke badle dashna ik tez saa hotaa mire gham-khvaar ke paas dahan-e-sher mein jaa baiThe lekin ai dil na khaDe ho jiye khubaan-e-dil-aazaar ke paas dekh kar tujh ko chaman bas-ki numu kartaa hai khud-ba-khud pahunche hai gul gosha-e-dastaar ke paas mar gayaa phoD ke sar 'ghaalib'-e-vahshi hai hai baiThnaa us kaa vo aa kar tiri divaar ke paas kab faqiron ko rasaai bu-e-mai-khvaar ke paas to bane bu dijiye maikhaane ki divaar ke paas"

"ajab mushkil ki dil kaa haal aisaa ho gayaa hai sabhi ab puchhte hain mujh se ye kyaa ho gayaa hai main ye samjhaa ki gham kaa ab mudaavaa ho gayaa hai kuredaa zakhm to ye aur taaza ho gayaa hai kabhi fursat mile to khud se main baatein karungaa mujhe khud se mile bhi to zamaana ho gayaa hai magar ab sochtaa huun toD duun saare maraasim magar dil bhi tire gham se shanaasaa ho gayaa hai miri barbaad hasti kaa nazaara dekhne ko vo aae aur gham mein phir izaafa ho gayaa hai isi dariyaa mein ab khud ko Dubonaa chaahtaa huun ki is dil kaa talaatum mein kinaare ho gayaa hai chalo bhi 'qalb' ab tum dusraa dekho Thikaanaa ki is basti mein apnaa sab paraayaa ho gayaa hai"

"dil shaad nahin karte aabaad nahin karte mahsus ye hotaa hai vo yaad nahin karte naashaad zamaane ke dil shaad nahin karte kam-aql parindon ko aazaad nahin karte mohtaaj-e-karam aksar rahte hain gharibon ke jo log gharibon ki imdaad nahin karte kuchh log shikaayat ko haq apnaa samajhte hain kuchh log kabhi tum se fariyaad nahin karte ham apne iraadon mein rakhte hain tavaanaai ham daad ke taalib ko bedaad nahin karte jo aap ki niyyat kaa kuchh ilm hamein hotaa ham apni mohabbat ko barbaad nahin karte is daur-e-siyaasat mein 'mahmud' qayaamat hai ahbaab jo karte hain jallaad nahin karte"

"kahe detaa huun go hai to nahin ye baat kahne ki tiri khvaahish nahin dil mein ziyaada der rahne ki bachaa kar dil guzartaa jaa rahaa huun har ta’alluq se kahaan us aable ko taab hai ab choT sahne ki rag-o-pai mein na hangaama kare to kyaa kare aakhir ijaazat jab nahin is ranj ko aankhon se bahne ki bas apni apni tarjihaat apni apni khvaahish hai tujhe shohrat kamaane ki mujhe ik she'r kahne ki jahaan kaa huun vahin ki raas aaegi fazaa mujh ko ye duniyaa bhi bhalaa koi jagah hai mere rahne ki jo kal 'irfaan' par guzri sunaa kuchh us ke baare mein khabar tum ne suni tufaan mein dariyaa ke bahne ki"

"bahr-e-rang-e-daastaan rahne diyaa ik tajassus darmiyaan rahne diyaa ab zamin ban kar bichhaa jaataa hai vo main ne jis ko aasmaan rahne diyaa raushni aur khvaab saare hech the apni aankhon mein dhuaan rahne diyaa vo jagah raushan nahin hogi kabhi is mohabbat ko jahaan rahne diyaa maan ne maathaa chuum kar rukhsat kiyaa maamtaa kaa saaebaan rahne diyaa kul milaa ke ye hai raaz-e-tishnagi ham ne dil ko sargiraan rahne diyaa khud hami paamaal Thahre shauq se khush-gumaan ko khush-gumaan rahne diyaa"