Wo to khushboo hai hawaaon mein bikhar jaayega,
Masla phool ka hai phool kidhar jaayega.
English Translation
“He is a fragrance and will scatter in the winds — the real question is where the flower will go.”
auto_storiesMeaning & Interpretation
Parveen Shakir turns a familiar farewell upside down. The beloved is imagined as a scent, free and weightless, who will disperse wherever the wind takes him. The couplet then shifts the sympathy: what becomes of the flower he leaves behind?
In classical ghazals the lover is the flower, rooted, waiting and suffering, while the beloved is free. Shakir keeps the imagery but takes the flower's side, speaking in a voice that was historically unheard in this tradition.
The tone is neither bitter nor pleading; it is clear-eyed. The speaker knows exactly what is happening and says so in two quietly devastating lines.
Key Words & Vocabulary
About Parveen Shakir
Late 20th Century (Feminine Voice of the Ghazal) · The woman who gave the ghazal a second voiceParveen Shakir (1952–1994) redefined the Urdu love poem by writing from a woman's point of view. Her debut collection Khushbu (1976) made her a household name; she died in a road accident at 42, leaving behind some of the most quoted verses in contemporary Urdu.
Read All 4 Shayaris by Parveen Shakirarrow_forwardMore Shayari by Parveen Shakir
Main sach kahungi magar phir bhi haar jaaungi,
Wo jhoot bolega aur laajawab kar dega.
Kamaal-e-zabt ko khud bhi to aazmaungi main,
Apne haath se uski dulhan sajaungi main.
Husn ke samajhne ko umr chahiye jaanaan,
Do ghadi ki chaahat mein ladkiyan nahin khultin.
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Reading Parveen Shakir: where this sher fits
Themes to watch for: women's inner life, fragrance and memory, dignified self-assertion, love as negotiation, quiet independence. Begin with Khushbu and read the ghazals aloud; her rhythms are subtle and easy to miss on a quick read.
Worth knowing: She was one of the first major Urdu poets to write openly about love from a woman's perspective without borrowing a masculine voice.