Here's a ghazal in the style of Jaun Elia, centered on love's melancholic aftermath, loss, and introspection, using classical Urdu vocabulary with a recurring radif and qafiya.
**Theme:** Love, its loss, and the ensuing void.
**Radif:** "bhi nahi" (भी नहीं) - not even
**Qafiya:** Words rhyming before "bhi nahi" like dil, haal, pal, amal, raah, khayal etc.
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**ग़ज़ल**
वो इश्क़ था के क्या था, अब तो बस एक वहम है,
के दिल भी नहीं, और वो पहला सा हाल भी नहीं।
जो लम्हे थे कभी मेरी ज़िंदगी का हासिल,
अब उनका कोई निशाँ, कोई पल भी नहीं।
बहुत की हैं फ़रियादें, बहुत सी आहें भरीं,
मगर उस पर असर, कोई अमल भी नहीं।
जहाँ चलते थे कभी उसकी जबीं की रौशनी में,
अब उस गली में कोई चिराग़, कोई राह भी नहीं।
ये सोचता हूँ के क्या मुझमें अब कुछ बचा भी है?
वो खुद से मिलने की चाहत, वो सवाल भी नहीं।
वो अहद-ए-वफ़ा, वो उलझनें, वो सब बातें कहाँ,
'एलिया', अब तो ख़ुद का कोई ख़याल भी नहीं।
---
**Roman Transliteration:**
**Ghazal**
Wo ishq tha ke kya tha, ab to bas ek wahm hai,
Ke dil bhi nahi, aur vo pahla sa haal bhi nahi.
Jo lamhe the kabhi meri zindagi ka haasil,
Ab unka koi nishaan, koi pal bhi nahi.
Bahut ki hain fariyaaden, bahut si aahein bhari,
Magar us par asar, koi amal bhi nahi.
Jahan chalte the kabhi uski jabeen ki roshni mein,
Ab us gali mein koi chiragh, koi raah bhi nahi.
Ye sochta hoon ke kya mujhme ab kuchh bacha bhi hai?
Wo khud se milne ki chahat, wo sawaal bhi nahi.
Wo ahd-e-wafa, wo uljhanen, wo sab baatein kahan,
'Elia', ab to khud ka koi khayal bhi nahi.
---
**English Translation & Explanation:**
1. **وہ عشق تھا کے کیا تھا، اب تو بس ایک وہم ہے،**
**के दिल भी नहीं, और वो पहला सा हाल भी नहीं।**
* *Trans:* Was it love or what, now it's merely an illusion,
That the heart isn't even there, nor that former state of being.
* *Jaun-esque:* The opening questions the very nature of past love, reducing it to a "wahm" (illusion/delusion). The absence of "dil" (heart) and "haal" (condition/state) immediately sets a tone of profound loss and emptiness.
2. **जो लम्हे थे कभी मेरी ज़िंदगी का हासिल,**
**अब उनका कोई निशाँ, कोई पल भी नहीं।**
* *Trans:* Those moments that were once the essence of my life,
Now not even a trace, not even a moment of them remains.
* *Jaun-esque:* Highlights the fleeting nature of happiness and the completeness of its erasure. "Haasil" (essence/achievement) emphasizes the value once placed on those moments.
3. **बहुत की हैं फ़रियादें, बहुत सी आहें भरीं,**
**मगर उस पर असर, कोई अमल भी नहीं।**
* *Trans:* Many pleas were made, many sighs were heaved,
But on her, no effect, not even an action/response.
* *Jaun-esque:* The pain of unrequited yearning. The lover's desperate efforts ("fariyaaden," "aahein") yield no result or "amal" (action/impact) from the beloved, signifying complete indifference.
4. **जहाँ चलते थे कभी उसकी जबीं की रौशनी में,**
**अब उस गली में कोई चिराग़, कोई राह भी नहीं।**
* *Trans:* Where I once walked in the light of her forehead,
Now in that lane, there's no lamp, not even a path.
* *Jaun-esque:* Poetic imagery of guidance and direction. "Jabeen ki roshni" (light of the forehead) metaphorically represents the beloved's presence as a guiding light. Its absence leaves the path (raah) and hope (chiragh) completely vanished.
5. **ये सोचता हूँ के क्या मुझमें अब कुछ बचा भी है?**
**वो खुद से मिलने की चाहत, वो सवाल भी नहीं।**
* *Trans:* I wonder, is anything left of me now?
That desire to meet myself, that very question isn't even there.
* *Jaun-esque:* Deep introspection and existential despair. The loss is so profound that the self is fragmented, and even the "chahat" (desire) to rediscover oneself, or the "sawaal" (questioning) of one's identity, has vanished.
6. **वो अहद-ए-वफ़ा, वो उलझनें, वो सब बातें कहाँ,**
**'एलिया', अब तो ख़ुद का कोई ख़याल भी नहीं।**
* *Trans:* Where are those pledges of loyalty, those perplexities, all those matters?
Elia, now there isn't even a thought for oneself.
* *Jaun-esque:* The maqta (final couplet) with the takhallus ('Elia') brings the ghazal to a poignant close. "Ahd-e-wafa" (pledge of loyalty), "uljhanen" (perplexities) refer to the complexities of the lost love. The ultimate tragedy is the complete self-neglect, where the lover has no "khayal" (thought/care) even for himself. This reflects Jaun's characteristic blend of self-pity and philosophical resignation.