ek kachhwe ke aa gai ji mein
kijiye sair o gasht khushki ki

ja raha tha chala hua khamosh
us se nahaq ulajh pada khargosh

miyan kachhwe! tumhaari chaal hai ye
ya koi shamat aur wabaal hai ye

yun qadam phunk phunk dharte ho
goya uttu zamin pe dharte ho

kyun hue chal ke muft mein bad-nam
be-chale kya atak raha tha kaam

tum ko ye hausla na karna tha
chullu pani mein dub marna tha

ye tan-o-tosh aur ye raftar
aisi raftar par khuda ki mar

bola kachhwa ki hon khafa na huzur
main to hun aap mo'tarif ba-qusur

agar aahistagi hai jurm-o-gunah
to main khud apne jurm ka hun gawah

mujh ko jo sakht sust farmaya
aap ne sab durust farmaya

mujh ko ghafil magar na jaaniyega
banda-parwar bura na maniyega

yun zabani jawab to kya dun
shart bad kar chalo to dikhla dun

tum to ho aaftab mein zarra
par mita dunga aap ka ghurra

sun ke khargosh ne ye talkh jawab
kaha kachhwe se yun zi-ru-e-itab

tu kare meri ham-sari ka khayal
teri ye tab ye sakat ye majal

chyunti ke jo par nikal aae
to yaqin hai ki ab ajal aae

are bebak! bad-zaban munh-phat
tu ne dekhi kahan hai daud jhapat

jab main tezi se jast karta hun
shahsawaron ko past karta hun

gard ko meri baad-e-pa na lage
lakh daude mera pata na lage

rail hun barq hun chhalawa hun
main chhalawe ka balki bawa hun

teri meri nibhegi sohbat kya
aasman ko zamin se nisbat kya

jis ne bhugte hon turki o tazi
aaise mariyal se kya bade bazi

baat ko ab ziyaada kya dun tul
khair karta hun teri shart qubul

hai munasib ki imtihan ho jae
taki aib o hunar ayan ho jae

al-gharaz ek maqam thahra kar
hue donon harif garm-e-safar

bas-ki zoron pe tha chadha khargosh
tezi phurti se yun badha khargosh

jis tarah jae top ka gola
ya gire aasaman se ola

ek do khet chaukdi bhar ke
apni chusti pe aafrin kar ke

kisi goshe mein so gaya ja kar
fikr kya hai chalenge susta kar

aur kachhwa gharib aahista
chala sine ko khak par ghista

sui ghante ki jaise chalti hai
ya ba-tadrij chhanw dhalti hai

yunhi chalta raha ba-istiqlal
na kiya kuchh idhar udhar ka khayal

kaam karta raha jo pai-dar-pai
kar gaya rafta rafta manzil tai

haif khargosh rah gaya sota
samra ghaflat ka aur kya hota

jab khuli aankh to sawera tha
sakht sharmindagi ne ghera tha

sabr o mohabbat mein hai sar-afraazi
sust kachhwe ne jit li bazi

nahin qissa ye dil-lagi ke liye
balki ibrat hai aadmi ke liye

hai sukhan is hijab mein ru-posh
warna kachhwa kahan kahan khargosh