By Mehshar Afridi
tumhare ko tak padhte
so ek mein padh
so ek mein padh
“How long could I read your beauty page by page — so in one night I read the whole book.”
Romanहिन्दीMehshar Afridi
तुम्हारे को तक पढ़ते
सो एक में पढ़
सो एक में पढ़
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 →