By Mehshar Afridi
tumhare husn ko kab tak waraq waraq padhte
so ek raat mein puri kitab padh dali
so ek raat mein puri kitab padh dali
“How long could I read your beauty page by page — so in one night I read the whole book.”
Romanहिन्दीMehshar Afridi
तुम्हारे हुस्न को कब तक वरक़ वरक़ पढ़ते
सो एक रात में पूरी किताब पढ़ डाली
सो एक रात में पूरी किताब पढ़ डाली
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
Beauty is figured as a book read page by page, slowly, the way a lover lingers over a beloved's face. The turn is the impatience that overtakes the reader — one night, and the whole book is consumed at once. The couplet plays the patience of devotion against the hunger of desire, and lets desire win with a smile.
For You, Today
Some things are meant to be savoured slowly, but be honest about the nights when patience gives way to wanting it all.
A playful couplet that turns the act of reading into a metaphor for a single night of intimacy.
Themes:BeautyLove & Loss
More from Mehshar Afridi
The heart of this site stays with Iqbal: explore his couplets → Or browse the whole Other Voices shelf →