By Waseem Barelvi
vo raha tha se
na karta to aur kya karta
na karta to aur kya karta
“He was lying with such grace and skill — what could I do but believe him?”
Romanहिन्दीWaseem Barelvi
वो झूट रहा था बड़े सलीक़े से
मैं ए'तिबार न करता तो और क्या करता
मैं ए'तिबार न करता तो और क्या करता
The verse in Devanagari — it carries the authenticity of the original, and every Hindi reader can read it.
♪ Hear the coupletA recitation in a synthesized voice.
The Interpretation
The couplet hands the lie a craftsman's polish — it was told "with such grace and skill" — and then surrenders to it almost helplessly. The wit, and the sadness, lie in the speaker's complicity: he sees the lie clearly and believes it anyway, because beauty in the telling has overpowered the truth.
For You, Today
Notice when you are believing something because it is told well rather than because it is true — charm is not evidence.
A famous mushaira verse, beloved for its rueful confession that we often consent to the lies we find graceful.
Themes:Love & LossWisdom
More from Waseem Barelvi
The heart of this site stays with Iqbal: explore his couplets → Or browse the whole Other Voices shelf →