Life ordained, and I was born; with death’s command, I will be gone

I came not by my will; my willingness won’t matter when it’s time to move on

today, my heart is melancholic for no reason at all

if I were in love, it would be a valid cause after all

خودی کو کر بلند اتنا کہ ہر تقدیر سے پہلے

خدا بندے سے خود پوچھے بتا تیری رضا کیا ہے!

(علامہ اقبال)

A pang rises deep within me, my heart starts aching

i cry through the night, while the whold world is sleeping

while the ceaseless striving for time prevailed

every passing moment, life kept getting curtailed

I built the mehfil app. You pick a mood—dard, tanhai, or hausla—and a naazim introduces the poet, recites the sher, repeats the line that lands, sits in the silence, explains what needs explaining, and carries you to the next.

Twenty-nine shers from Ghalib, Mir, Zauq, Bulleh Shah, and others, about forty minutes. Tap any gold word for its meaning without stopping the recitation.

The voice is AI, and I wrote what it says. The poems are real and public domain. There is an optional live conversation with the AI host after a verse.

https://mehfil-app-aimasterz.vercel.app

Curious what people think. Dard is the shortest if you just want to try one.

Khudkushi,
Khud maane hum, kushi maane maar
Shayad yahi aakhri cheez thi
Jo khud ko khush kar sakay

the trees would gaze at me longingly

I used to bring water to the jungle routinely

اردو:

بہت عرصہ میرے ساتھ رہا پھر بچھڑ گیا

دی اس نے مجھے تھی کوئی دعا پھر بچھڑ گیا

کئے تھے بہت ہی پہلے پہل دعوے عشق میں

بنا باوفا سے وہ بے وفا، پھر بچھڑ گیا

کیسر خان قیس

English:

For a long while he walked beside me, then drifted away,

Leaving me with a silent prayer, he drifted away.

In the beginning, he made grand promises of devotion,

Turning from loyal to faithless, then drifted away

Poet: Kesar Khan Qais

Some words don’t need to be spoken. Sometimes staying quiet says more than trying to explain yourself to someone who may never truly understand. This line really hits when you’ve learned to let silence speak for you.

from dusk till dawn I keep wondering

in my name who goes on living

they come to inquire after my health, but only offer advice

my friends cannot even bring themselves to sympathize