Urdu poet and writer Muslim Saleem

Akhtar Saeed Khan garlanding Muslim Saleem on his winning mushayara at Bhopal in 1982
श्री अख्तर सईद खान मुस्लिम सलीम को ग़ज़ल मुकाबला जीतने पर हार पहनाकर इस्तिक्बाल करते हुए (१९८२)

GHAZAL
Jab ham ne zindagi ki gineen rahaten tamam
lamhat mein simat si gayeen mudatten tamam
(Whenever I counted the period of joy in my life
all the long stretches of time coiled into moments)

Wo dekhne mein ab bhi tanawar darakht hai
halaanki waqt khod chuka hai jaden tamam
(It still looks like a giant tree
despite the fact that time has undermined its roots)

Har baar yoon laga ki koi ayega magar
kuchh door his laut gaheen aahaten tamam
(Every time hope rose that someone will come
but all the footsteps (coming towards me) went back from afar)

Main aur ihtijaj ki himmat, naheen, naheen
be ikhtiyar cheekh padi hain ragen tamam

(Me and protest, how dare I
it is just that all my veins have shrieked uncontrollably)

Aasar-e-karb sab se chhupata phira magar
bistar pe naqsh ho hi gayeen karwaten tamam

(I kept hiding signs of my agonies from everyone
but as I writhed due to sleeplessness, it all was imprinted on the bed)

Wo khud ye chahta tha, ye mahsoos tab hua
ham bekhudi mein tod gaye jab haden tamam

(He himself wanted what was done to him and I experience it
when I went beyond all the limits as I went out of control)

जब हमने ज़िन्दगी की गिनीं राहतें तमाम
लम्हात में सिमट सी गयीं मुद्दतें तमाम
वो देखने में अब भी तनावर दरख्त है
हालांकि वक़्त खोद चूका है जड़ें तमाम
हर बार यूँ लगा के कोई आएगा मगर
कुछ दूर ही से लौट गयीं आहटें तमाम
आसार-इ-कर्ब से छिपाता फिरा मगर
बिस्तर पे नक्श को ही गयीं करवटें तमाम
मैं और इह्तिजाज की हिम्मत, नहीं, नहीं
बे-इख्तियार चीख पड़ी हैं रगें तमाम
वो खुद ये चाहता था, ये महसूस तब हुआ
हम बे-खुदी में तोड़ गए जब हदें तमाम