Once…

Jab tere shaher me raha karte the,
Hum bhi chup chaap jiya karte the.
Aankho me pyas hua karti thi,
Dil me toofaan utha karte the.
Log aate the shayeri sunne hamse,
Hum to faqat teri baat kiya karte the.
Hum tera naam lene ke khatir,
Ghar ki deewar sajaya karte the.
Ankho me nami kam na hojaye,
Hum roz tujhe yaad kia krte the.
Dard ye dil ka jb saha na jaye,
Tere husn ka deedar kia krte the.
Aaj teri tasveer dekhi to yaad aaya,
Kabhi hum bhi mohabbat kiya karte the.

English version –

When I lived in the city of yours,
I used to be very shy and quiet.
But my eyes were full of thirst,
and my heart housed storms of desire.

People came to listen and enjoy my poems,
Where I used to talk only about you.
Just to take your name on my lips,
I used to decorate the stage of my recital.

So that my eyes don’t get dried,
I used to reminisce you daily.
And when the pain in my heart intensified,
I used to contemplate your beauty.
And today when I saw that painting of yours,
I remembered that I was also a lover once.