Urdu Poetry in English: 29 Famous Sher with Urdu Text and Translation

October 13, 2026 novelmain

Language: Urdu

About this novel

Read 29 famous Urdu poetry couplets in English, each with Urdu script and Roman Urdu: love, sad and inspiring sher by Ghalib, Mir, Iqbal and others.

Urdu has one of the richest traditions of poetry in the world, but much of its beauty is hard to share with friends and children who read English better than Urdu. This page collects 29 of the most famous couplets (sher) of classical Urdu poetry. Each one is given in Urdu script, in Roman Urdu so you can read it aloud, and with a plain English translation of our own.

All the poets here lived and died long ago, from Mir Taqi Mir in the 18th century to Allama Iqbal, who died in 1938, so their poetry is in the public domain and free to read and share.

On this page

Love poetry in Urdu with English translation
Sad Urdu poetry (ghamgeen shayari) in English
Inspirational Urdu poetry
Wisdom and wit
The poets
FAQ

Love poetry in Urdu with English translation

Love, longing and the beloved are at the heart of the Urdu ghazal. These are some of the best-known lines on love. For 17 more, see our full page of love poetry in Urdu.

ہزاروں خواہشیں ایسی کہ ہر خواہش پہ دم نکلے
بہت نکلے مرے ارمان لیکن پھر بھی کم نکلے

Hazaron khwahishen aisi ke har khwahish pe dam nikle
Bahut nikle mere arman lekin phir bhi kam nikle

A thousand desires, each one worth dying for; many of my wishes came true, yet they were still too few.

— Mirza Ghalib

نازکی اس کے لب کی کیا کہیے
پنکھڑی ایک گلاب کی سی ہے

Nazuki us ke lab ki kya kahiye
Pankhudi ek gulab ki si hai

How can I describe the softness of her lips? They are like the petal of a rose.

— Mir Taqi Mir

پتا پتا بوٹا بوٹا حال ہمارا جانے ہے
جانے نہ جانے گل ہی نہ جانے باغ تو سارا جانے ہے

Patta patta boota boota haal hamara jaane hai
Jaane na jaane gul hi na jaane baagh to saara jaane hai

Every leaf and every bush knows the state I am in; only the rose does not know, though the whole garden does.

— Mir Taqi Mir

تم مرے پاس ہوتے ہو گویا
جب کوئی دوسرا نہیں ہوتا

Tum mere paas hote ho goya
Jab koi doosra nahin hota

You are with me, as it were, whenever no one else is there.

— Momin Khan Momin

خوب پردہ ہے کہ چلمن سے لگے بیٹھے ہیں
صاف چھپتے بھی نہیں سامنے آتے بھی نہیں

Khoob parda hai ke chilman se lage baithe hain
Saaf chhupte bhi nahin saamne aate bhi nahin

What a veil this is: she sits close behind the screen, neither fully hidden nor coming out in front.

— Dagh Dehlvi

غضب کیا ترے وعدے پہ اعتبار کیا
تمام رات قیامت کا انتظار کیا

Ghazab kiya tere waade pe aitbaar kiya
Tamaam raat qayamat ka intezar kiya

What a mistake it was to trust your promise; all night long I waited as if for the Day of Judgement.

— Dagh Dehlvi

دکھائی دیے یوں کہ بے خود کیا
ہمیں آپ سے بھی جدا کر چلے

Dikhai diye yun ke bekhud kiya
Hamein aap se bhi juda kar chale

You appeared in such a way that I lost myself; you left me parted even from my own self.

— Mir Taqi Mir

ترے عشق کی انتہا چاہتا ہوں
مری سادگی دیکھ کیا چاہتا ہوں

Tere ishq ki intiha chahta hoon
Meri sadgi dekh kya chahta hoon

I want the very limit of your love; look at my innocence, see what it is I ask for.

— Allama Iqbal

Sad Urdu poetry (ghamgeen shayari) with English translation

Grief, separation and the shortness of life run through classical Urdu poetry. These sad couplets are among the most quoted. For 14 more, see our page of sad Urdu poetry.

اب تو گھبرا کے یہ کہتے ہیں کہ مر جائیں گے
مر کے بھی چین نہ پایا تو کدھر جائیں گے

Ab to ghabra ke ye kehte hain ke mar jayenge
Mar ke bhi chain na paaya to kidhar jayenge

In despair I now say that I will die; but if I find no peace even in death, where will I go then?

— Shaikh Ibrahim Zauq

زندگی ہے یا کوئی طوفان ہے
ہم تو اس جینے کے ہاتھوں مر چلے

Zindagi hai ya koi toofan hai
Hum to is jeene ke haathon mar chale

Is this life, or some storm? This business of living has all but killed me.

— Khwaja Mir Dard

یہ نہ تھی ہماری قسمت کہ وصالِ یار ہوتا
اگر اور جیتے رہتے یہی انتظار ہوتا

Ye na thi hamari qismat ke visal-e-yaar hota
Agar aur jeete rehte yahi intezar hota

It was never my fate to be united with my beloved; had I lived longer, I would only have gone on waiting.

— Mirza Ghalib

آگ تھے ابتدائے عشق میں ہم
اب جو ہیں خاک انتہا ہے یہ

Aag the ibtida-e-ishq mein hum
Ab jo hain khaak intiha hai ye

At the start of love I was fire; now I am ashes, and this is where it ends.

— Mir Taqi Mir

کوئی امید بر نہیں آتی
کوئی صورت نظر نہیں آتی

Koi ummeed bar nahin aati
Koi surat nazar nahin aati

No hope is fulfilled; no way out can be seen.

— Mirza Ghalib

حال مجھ غم زدہ کا جس جس نے
جب سنا ہوگا رو دیا ہوگا

Haal mujh gham-zada ka jis jis ne
Jab suna hoga ro diya hoga

Whoever heard the story of my grief must surely have wept.

— Khwaja Mir Dard

لائی حیات آئے قضا لے چلی چلے
اپنی خوشی نہ آئے نہ اپنی خوشی چلے

Laai hayat aaye qaza le chali chale
Apni khushi na aaye na apni khushi chale

Life brought me, so I came; death takes me, so I go. I neither came by my own wish nor leave by it.

— Shaikh Ibrahim Zauq

اب تو جاتے ہیں بت کدے سے میرؔ
پھر ملیں گے اگر خدا لایا

Ab to jaate hain butkade se Mir
Phir milenge agar Khuda laaya

Now, Mir, I leave the house of idols; we will meet again if God brings us together.

— Mir Taqi Mir

Inspirational Urdu poetry in English

Allama Iqbal turned Urdu poetry towards hope, courage and self-belief. His lines on khudi (the self) are still quoted to students and young people.

خودی کو کر بلند اتنا کہ ہر تقدیر سے پہلے
خدا بندے سے خود پوچھے بتا تیری رضا کیا ہے

Khudi ko kar buland itna ke har taqdeer se pehle
Khuda bande se khud poochhe bata teri raza kya hai

Raise your self so high that before every turn of fate, God Himself asks you: tell me, what is your wish?

— Allama Iqbal

ستاروں سے آگے جہاں اور بھی ہیں
ابھی عشق کے امتحاں اور بھی ہیں

Sitaron se aage jahan aur bhi hain
Abhi ishq ke imtihan aur bhi hain

There are worlds beyond the stars; love still has more tests ahead.

— Allama Iqbal

تو شاہیں ہے پرواز ہے کام تیرا
ترے سامنے آسماں اور بھی ہیں

Tu shaheen hai parwaz hai kaam tera
Tere saamne aasman aur bhi hain

You are a falcon, and flying is your work; there are more skies in front of you.

— Allama Iqbal

نہیں ہے ناامید اقبالؔ اپنی کشتِ ویراں سے
ذرا نم ہو تو یہ مٹی بہت زرخیز ہے ساقی

Nahin hai na-ummeed Iqbal apni kisht-e-veeran se
Zara nam ho to ye mitti bahut zarkhez hai saqi

Iqbal has not lost hope in his barren field; with a little moisture, this soil is very fertile, O Saqi.

— Allama Iqbal

مت سہل ہمیں جانو پھرتا ہے فلک برسوں
تب خاک کے پردے سے انسان نکلتے ہیں

Mat sahl hamein jaano phirta hai falak barson
Tab khaak ke parde se insan nikalte hain

Do not take me lightly: the heavens turn for years before a true human being rises from the dust.

— Mir Taqi Mir

بس کہ دشوار ہے ہر کام کا آساں ہونا
آدمی کو بھی میسر نہیں انساں ہونا

Bas ke dushwar hai har kaam ka aasan hona
Aadmi ko bhi muyassar nahin insan hona

It is hard for any task to become easy; even a man does not easily become truly human.

— Mirza Ghalib

Wisdom and wit

Urdu poets could also be funny, sharp and wise. Akbar Allahabadi in particular was famous for his humour.

ہم آہ بھی کرتے ہیں تو ہو جاتے ہیں بدنام
وہ قتل بھی کرتے ہیں تو چرچا نہیں ہوتا

Hum aah bhi karte hain to ho jaate hain badnaam
Woh qatl bhi karte hain to charcha nahin hota

If I so much as sigh, I am disgraced; she can commit murder and no one even talks about it.

— Akbar Allahabadi

دنیا میں ہوں دنیا کا طلب گار نہیں ہوں
بازار سے گزرا ہوں خریدار نہیں ہوں

Duniya mein hoon duniya ka talabgar nahin hoon
Bazaar se guzra hoon khareedar nahin hoon

I live in the world but do not crave it; I have walked through the market without becoming a buyer.

— Akbar Allahabadi

ہیں اور بھی دنیا میں سخن ور بہت اچھے
کہتے ہیں کہ غالبؔ کا ہے اندازِ بیاں اور

Hain aur bhi duniya mein sukhan-war bahut achhe
Kehte hain ke Ghalib ka hai andaz-e-bayan aur

There are many other fine poets in the world, but people say Ghalib has a way of saying things all his own.

— Mirza Ghalib

اے ذوقؔ تکلف میں ہے تکلیف سراسر
آرام میں ہے وہ جو تکلف نہیں کرتا

Ae Zauq takalluf mein hai takleef sarasar
Aaram mein hai woh jo takalluf nahin karta

Zauq, formality brings nothing but trouble; the one who does without it lives at ease.

— Shaikh Ibrahim Zauq

کتنے مفلس ہو گئے کتنے تونگر ہو گئے
خاک میں جب مل گئے دونوں برابر ہو گئے

Kitne muflis ho gaye kitne tawangar ho gaye
Khaak mein jab mil gaye donon barabar ho gaye

So many grew poor and so many grew rich; once they were laid in the dust, both were equal.

— Shaikh Ibrahim Zauq

عمل سے زندگی بنتی ہے جنت بھی جہنم بھی
یہ خاکی اپنی فطرت میں نہ نوری ہے نہ ناری ہے

Amal se zindagi banti hai jannat bhi jahannam bhi
Ye khaki apni fitrat mein na noori hai na naari hai

Our deeds make life a heaven or a hell; this creature of dust is by nature neither of light nor of fire.

— Allama Iqbal

سیر کر دنیا کی غافل زندگانی پھر کہاں
زندگی گر کچھ رہی تو یہ جوانی پھر کہاں

Sair kar duniya ki ghafil zindagani phir kahan
Zindagi gar kuchh rahi to ye jawani phir kahan

See the world, careless one, for when will you live again? And even if life goes on, where will this youth be?

— Khwaja Mir Dard

The poets

Khwaja Mir Dard (1721–1785), Delhi: a Sufi poet known for short, deeply spiritual ghazals.
Mir Taqi Mir (1723–1810), Delhi and Lucknow: called Khuda-e-Sukhan, the “god of poetry”, and admired for his simple, heartbreaking language.
Shaikh Ibrahim Zauq (1790–1854), Delhi: poet laureate and tutor of the last Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar.
Mirza Ghalib (1797–1869), Agra and Delhi: often called the greatest Urdu poet of all.
Momin Khan Momin (1800–1852), Delhi: a master of the love ghazal; Ghalib is said to have admired his “tum mere paas” couplet.
Dagh Dehlvi (1831–1905), Delhi and Hyderabad: known for his clear, playful language; Iqbal was one of his students.
Akbar Allahabadi (1846–1921), Allahabad: the great humorist and satirist of Urdu poetry.
Allama Iqbal (1877–1938), Sialkot and Lahore: the national poet of Pakistan and the Poet of the East.

Frequently asked questions

What is a sher in Urdu poetry?

A sher is a couplet: two lines that together make one complete thought. A ghazal is made of several sher that share the same rhyme and metre, but each sher can be read and quoted on its own.

Who is the greatest Urdu poet?

Mirza Ghalib, Mir Taqi Mir and Allama Iqbal are the three names most often given. Mir is loved for the simplicity of his feeling, Ghalib for the depth and wit of his thought, and Iqbal for his message of hope and self-belief.

Are these English translations word for word?

No. They are our own plain translations that try to give the meaning of each couplet clearly. Urdu poetry is full of wordplay and double meanings, so no translation can carry everything; reading the Urdu or Roman Urdu line aloud is the best way to feel its music.