By Ahmad Faraz
suna hai log use aankh bhar ke dekhte hain
so us ke shahr mein kuchh din thahar ke dekhte hain

They say people gaze at her till their eyes are full — so let me too linger a few days in her city, and see.

Romanहिन्दीAhmad Faraz
सुना है लोग उसे आँख भर के देखते हैं
सो उस के शहर में कुछ दिन ठहर के देखते हैं

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 whole verse runs on hearsay — "they say" — and the poet, charmed by rumour alone, decides to test it by lingering in the beloved's city. There is something playful and tender in this, the way reputation becomes invitation, and seeing becomes its own reward. The couplet is the opening of a long, dreamlike ghazal that builds an entire imagined city around a beloved never quite met.

For You, Today

Curiosity is reason enough to go somewhere — let what you have only heard about draw you out to see it for yourself.

This opener launches one of Faraz's most cherished ghazals, a sustained daydream that turns gossip into pilgrimage.
Themes:LongingBeauty
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More from Ahmad Faraz
Longing
karun na yaad magar kis tarah bhulaun use
Longing
ranjish hi sahi dil hi dukhane ke liye aa
Love & Loss
ab ke ham bichhde to shayad kabhi khwabon mein milen
All couplets by Ahmad Faraz

The heart of this site stays with Iqbal: explore his couplets → Or browse the whole Other Voices shelf →