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Today's ghazal is by Mohd. Rafi Sauda, a contemporary of Meer Taqi Meer. 
Sauda is considered one of the greats of Urdu poetry. There are numerous 
similarities between Sauda and Meer. Both were approximately the same 
age (Sauda was elder by 8 years), both belonged to the Delhi school of 
Urdu poetry, both moved to Lcknow in the later half of their lives. 
Whereas Meer is known for his ghazal, Sauda excelled in qasidas. Though 
both wrote of the hopelessness of love, Meer's language tends towards 
the melancholy, Sauda's is more didantic, more energetic. In K.C.Kanda's 
words, Meer's poetry evokes an "Aah!" while Sauda's poetry evokes a 
"Waah!" from its readers.


aashiq kii bhii kaTatii hai.n  kyaa Khuub tarah raate.n
do chaar gha.Dii ronaa, do chaar gha.Dii baate.n

marataa huu.N mai.n is dukh se, yaad aatii hai.n vo baate.n
kyaa din vo mubaarak the, kyaa Khuub thii.n vo raate.n

auro.n se chhuTe dilabar, diladaar hove meraa
bar haq hai agar piiro.n, kuchh tum me.n karaamaate.n

[karaamaate.n = miracles]

(O divine ones! If you have any power, then show me your miracles! Let 
my "beloved" be mine. What a beautiful way to refer to the utter 
hopelessness of one's love!)

kal la.D ga_ii.n kuuche me.n aa.Nkho.n se merii aa.Nkhe.n
kuchh zor hii aapas me.n do do hu_ii.n samaghaate.n

[samaghaate.n = thrust and parry]

(A very nice simile for the looks exchanged between two lovers!)

is ishq ke kuuche me.n zaahid tuu sambhal chalanaa
kuchh pesh na jaave.ngii yahaa.N terii manajaate.n

[manajaate.n = pleas/prayers]
Note: the last word of the second misra was partially obscured. This is 
the word that I could make out. Perhaps someone can confirm. 

(O priest, walk carefully, in this lane of love; your pelas and prayers 
will not yield you anything here

The first misra reminds me of a song by Shakeel Badayuni - 
mohabbat kii raaho.n me.n chalanaa sambhal ke
yahaa.N jo bhii aayaa, gayaa haath mal ke
)

Saudaa ko agar puuchho ahavaal hai ye usakaa
do chaar gha.Dii ronaa, do chaar gha.Dii baate.n

(Very rarely does one find a poet of Sauda's stature repeating an entire 
misra in a ghazal. There can't be too many examples of the matlaa and 
the maqtaa ending with the same line.)


Hope you enjoyed the ghazal!