apne shagirdon ko ye aam hidayat hai meri
ki samajh len tah-e-dil se wo baja-o-beja

sher-goi mein rahen madd-e-nazar ye baaten
ki baghair in ke fasahat nahin hoti paida

chust bandish ho na ho sust yahi khubi hai
wo fasahat se gira sher mein jo harf daba

arabi farsi alfaz jo urdu mein kahen
harf-e-illat ka bura in mein hai girna dabna

alif-e-wasl agar aae to kuchh aib nahin
lekin alfaz mein urdu ke ye girna hai rawa

jis mein gunjlak na ho thodi bhi sarahat hai wahi
wo kinaya hai jo tasrih se bhi ho aula

aib-o-khubi ka samajhna hai ek amr-e-nazuk
pahle kuchh aur tha ab rang-e-zaban aur hua

yahi urdu hai jo pahle se chali aati hai
ahl-e-dehli ne ise aur se ab aur kiya

mustanad ahl-e-zaban khas hain dilli wale
is mein ghairon ka tasarruf nahin mana jata

jauhari naqd-e-sukhan ke hain parakhne wale
hai wo tiksal se bahar jo kasauti na chadha

baz alfaz jo do aae hain ek mana mein
ek ko tark kiya ek ko qaem rakkha

tark jo lafz kiya ab wo nahin mustamal
agle logon ki zaban par wahi deta tha maza

garche taqid buri hai magar achchhi hai kahin
ho jo bandish mein munasib to nahin aib zara

sher mein hashw-o-zawaed bhi bure hote hain
aisi bharti ko samajhte nahin shair achchha

gar kisi sher mein ita-e-jali aata hai
wo bada aib hai kahte hain use be-mana

istiara jo maze ka ho maze ki tashbih
is mein ek lutf hai is kahne ka phir kya kahna

istilah achchhi masal achchhi ho bandish achchhi
roz-marra bhi rahe saf fasahat se bhara

hai izafat bhi zaruri magar aisi to na ho
ek misre mein jo ho chaar jagah balki siwa

atf ka bhi hai yahi haal yahi surat hai
wo bhi aae matawali to nihayat hai bura

laff-o-nashr aae murattab wo bahut achchha hai
aur ho ghair-murattab to nahin kuchh beja

sher mein aae jo iham kisi mauqe par
kaifiyat us mein bhi hai wo bhi nihayat achchha

jo na marghub-e-tabiat ho buri hai wo radif
sher be-lutf hai gar qafiya ho be-dhanga

ek misre mein ho tum dusre misre mein ho tu
ye shutur-gurba hua main ne ise tark kiya

chand bahren mutaarif hain faqat urdu mein
farsi mein arabi mein hain magar in se siwa

sher mein hoti hai shair ko zarurat is ki
gar aruz us ne padha wo hai sukhan-war dana

mukhtasar ye hai ki hoti hai tabiat ustad
den allah ki hai jis ko ye neamat ho ata

be-asar ke nahin hota kabhi maqbul kalam
aur tasir wo shai hai jise deta hai khuda

garche duniya mein hue aur hain lakhon shair
kasb-e-fan se nahin hoti hai ye khubi paida

sayyad-'ahsan' jo mere dost bhi shagird bhi hain
jin ko allah ne di fikr-e-rasa tab-e-rasa

sher ke husn-o-qabaeh jo unhon ne puchhe
un ki darkhwast se ek qita ye barjasta kaha

pand-nama jo kaha 'dagh' ne be-kar nahin
kaam ka qita hai ye waqt pe kaam aaega