Baat se baat chale

Poetic ideas are sometimes derived from other works.

This is a couplet I am pretty proud of taking a thought from a great poet and developing it a bit.

This is the original from Maninder Singh Bedi

Hua jo teer-e-nazar neemkash to kya haasil
Mazaa to jab hai jo seene ke aarpaar chale

If the arrow of her glance is lodged in my heart no matter
The fun begins if it goes through and through

Now here is mine:

Armaan hai maidaan-e-wafaa me apna bhi ik mazaar ho
Bashart bas ki zakhm-e-dil seene ke aarpaar ho

I wish to have my grave in the Garden of Love
Only if the wound in my heart is through and through

Jigar Muradabadi

Here are a couple of couplets from the chap who is considered the greatest ghazal writer of all time. Jigar. (He also has the dubious distinction of consuming alcohol at a rate that was simply astounding for a good part of his adult life.) Few can match him for depth of thought, lyricism and technical mastery.

Love's success

Allah agar Taufeeq na de insaan ke bas ka kaam nahi nahiin
Faizaan-e-mohabbat aam to hai Irfaan-e-mohabbat aam nahiin

If God doesnt grant him wisdom, man cannot succeed (in love)
Falling in love is commonplace, to recognize love requires divine grace

3 more outstanding couplets (translating them is deuced diff)

use haal-o-kaal se waasta na garaz mukaam-o kyaam se
jise koi nisbat-e-khaas ho tere husn-e-bark-ekhiraam se

na garaz kisi se na waasta mujhe kaam apne hi kaam se
tere zikr se teri fikr se teri yaad se tere naam se

teri subah-e-aish hai kya bala tujhe ai falak jo ho hausla
kabhi kar ke aakar muqaabla gham-e-hijr-e-yaar ki shaam se

And finally Jigar on Wine

Mujhe uthane ko aaya hai ai waaiz-e-nadaan
jo uth sake to mera saagar-e-sharaab utha
kidhar se bark chamakti hai dehe ai waaiz
mai apna jaam uthaata hoon tu kitaab utha

(You have come to uplift me o silly priest
if u can uplift hold my wine flask
We will see where God's Divine light glows (reference to Mount Sinai/Moses)
You lift your Book and I lift my wine glass