Here is a ghazal in Urdu, attempting to mimic the style of Parveen Shakir, on the theme of nature:
**غزل (Ghazal)**
کیا خبر تھی کبھی یوں شام سے گزرے گی ہوا،
روح میں جس کی مہک صبحِ بہاراں سے گزری!
*Kya khabar thi kabhi yoon shaam se guzregi hawa,*
*Rooh mein jis ki mehak subh-e-baharaan se guzri!*
(Who knew that sometimes the wind would pass through the evening like this,
Whose fragrance in my soul passed through the morning of spring!)
**Matla (First Couplet)**
یہ کون سی صدا تھی جو گلابوں کے لبوں کو چھو کر،
پانی کی طرح میرے نغمہِ جاں سے گزری!
*Yeh kaun si sadaa thi jo gulaabon ke labon ko chhoo kar,*
*Paani ki tarah mere naghma-e-jaan se guzri!*
(What was this sound that, touching the lips of roses,
Passed through the song of my soul like water!)
**Couplets**
شاید وہ خواب تھا جو ہوا بن کے بکھر گیا،
یا کوئی حسرت تھی جو بادلِ نیساں سے گزری!
*Shayad woh khwaab tha jo hawa ban ke bikhar gaya,*
*Ya koi hasrat thi jo baadal-e-neisaan se guzri!*
(Perhaps it was a dream that scattered, turning into wind,
Or some longing that passed through the Naisaan cloud [spring rain cloud]!)
ساون کی گھٹاؤں میں چھپی تھی کوئی داستان،
جو شبنم بن کے پتوں کی زباں سے گزری!
*Saawan ki ghataaon mein chhupi thi koi daastaan,*
*Jo shabnam ban ke patton ki zabaan se guzri!*
(In the monsoon clouds, some tale lay hidden,
Which, as dew, passed through the language of leaves!)
تاریکیِ شب میں جب چاندنی آنکھیں مل رہی تھی،
اک یاد تھی جو درد کی ہر ٹیس سے گزری!
*Taareeki-e-shab mein jab chaandni aankhen mal rahi thi,*
*Ik yaad thi jo dard ki har teis se guzri!*
(In the darkness of night, when moonlight was rubbing its eyes,
It was a memory that passed through every pang of pain!)
پھولوں کی رنگت میں تھی اک اداسی پوشیدہ،
جو خاموشی سے ہر دل کے ارمان سے گزری!
*Phoolon ki rangat mein thi ik udaasi posheeda,*
*Jo khamoshi se har dil ke armaan se guzri!*
(In the hues of flowers, a sadness lay hidden,
Which silently passed through every desire of the heart!)
**Maqta (Last Couplet - with Takhallus)**
پروین یہ ہواؤں میں کیسی سرگوشی تھی آج؟
جو ہر شجر و ہر دشت و ہر بیاباں سے گزری!
*Parveen yeh hawaaon mein kaisi sargoshi thi aaj?*
*Jo har shajar o har dasht o har bayaabaan se guzri!*
(Parveen, what kind of whisper was in the winds today?
Which passed through every tree, every plain, and every wilderness!)
---
**Explanation of Parveen Shakir's Style Elements:**
1. **Nature as Metaphor:** The ghazal uses natural elements (wind, roses, clouds, dew, moonlight, flowers, trees, deserts) not just for description but to reflect inner human emotions – longing, sadness, memory, dreams, unspoken desires.
2. **Delicate Imagery:** "गुलाबों के लबों को छू कर" (touching the lips of roses), "चांदनी आंखें मल रही थी" (moonlight rubbing its eyes), "पत्तों की ज़बाँ से" (language of leaves) are characteristic of her tender and personified imagery.
3. **Subtle Melancholy/Wistfulness:** Phrases like "कोई حسرت تھی" (some longing), "اداسی پوشیدہ" (hidden sadness), "درد کی ہر ٹیس" (every pang of pain), and the overall questioning tone ("کیا خبر تھی," "یہ کون سی صدا تھی") evoke her typical melancholic introspection.
4. **Accessible yet Poetic Language:** The vocabulary includes classical Urdu words ("subh-e-baharaan," "naghma-e-jaan," "baadal-e-neisaan," "daastaan," "teis," "posheeda," "shajar," "dasht," "bayaabaan") but they are woven in a way that feels natural and understandable, avoiding overly ornate or obscure Persianisms.
5. **Focus on Sensory Experience:** The ghazal appeals to smell (mehak), sound (sadaa, sargoshi), sight (rangat, chaandni), and touch (chhoo kar), creating a rich sensory tapestry.
6. **Qafiya (Rhyme):** *hawa, sadaa, ghata, daastaan, tanhaai, udaasi, sargoshi* (all end in 'aa' sound, fitting the 'a' of 'guzri' very well).
7. **Radif (Refrain):** `... se guzri!` (passed through...). This consistent refrain gives the ghazal its flowing, continuous, and often wistful sense of something fleeting.
8. **Takhallus (Pen Name):** The final couplet uses "Parveen" to attribute the ghazal, as is customary.