By Saifuddin Saif
tumhare baad khuda jane kya hua dil ko
kisi se rabt badhane ka hausla na hua

After you, God knows what became of this heart — it never found the courage to grow close to anyone again.

Romanहिन्दीSaifuddin Saif
तुम्हारे बाद ख़ुदा जाने क्या हुआ दिल को
किसी से रब्त बढ़ाने का हौसला न हुआ

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

This is loss measured not by tears but by a permanent loss of nerve — after the beloved is gone, the heart simply cannot summon the courage to draw near anyone again. The couplet locates grief in the quietest place, in a closing-down so complete that the poet hands the explanation over to God, having none of his own.

For You, Today

If an old loss has left you unable to risk closeness again, name that for what it is — not coldness, but a courage that still needs healing.

Its quiet force is in framing the aftermath of love as a failure of courage rather than a fading of feeling.
Themes:Love & LossCourage
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More from Saifuddin Saif
Love & Loss
meri dastan-e-hasrat vo suna suna ke roe
Wisdom
'saif' andaz-e-bayan rang badal deta hai
Solitude
shor din ko nahin sone deta
All couplets by Saifuddin Saif

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