Ai Shauq Wahi Mai Pee , Ai Hosh Zara So Ja Mehman-e-Nazar Is Dam Ik Barq-e-Tajalli Hai

ऐ शौक़ वही मय पी ऐ होश ज़रा सो जा
मेहमान-ए-नज़र इस दम इक बर्क़-ए-तजल्ली है
Ai Shauq Wahi Mai Pee , Ai Hosh Zara So Ja
Mehman-e-Nazar Is Dam Ik Barq-e-Tajalli Hai
This is a great sher by Akbar Ilaahaabaadi sahib.
Sometimes desperation and dejection fills our Zehen to a point where even a good thing observed, is thought of as a fake, a mirage, an unreal scene. But let’s get a little deeper into this.
When and why does the heart feel this way? What precipitates such a desolate view towards love and life in general?
When you love someone with a pure heart and pious intentions, when you give more than 100% of yourself to someone, and all those efforts to win that person’s love go unreturned, un-noticed, unrequited, the mind and the heart slowly transgress that line of sanity and insanity. Everything one encounters begins to send vibes of failure, hopelessness and an emptiness in the heart. As these experiences begin to pile up, one reaches a stage that make him/her feel, life is worthless.
The shayar, in this sher exactly depicts that in his own words with some amazing comparisons. At this point the heart is already deep down in the dumps. Once in a while it sees something interesting, and what does it say?
Ai Shauq Yehi May Pee, Ai Hosh Zara So Jaa
Oh my fantastic desires of a Vasl, a meeting or acknowledgment of my love, don’t raise your hopes, don’t get too excited, because all this is unreal, it cannot ever happen, and you will only lead yourself into deeper losses and sorrows of failure.
Keep yourself intoxicated and do NOT come to your senses. Because if you do, soon you will realize that no one cares for you, and you will be again depressed and find yourself in the unfathomable deep well of sorrow and grief.
And how does he justify this state of his heart? The misra-e-saani - second line of the sher explains this. This is the power of the genre of Ghazal. A single sher of two lines can hit such a hard and powerful punch! In the second line, with a beautiful example and comparison to what one imagines, is explained:
Listen my dejected heart, this Mehmaan-E-Nazar - this sight of luck that you think is true, real, actually happening, is NOT real at all. Then what is it? This beautiful scene in front of your eyes that you think of meeting her, or your love being returned with a favorable glance, is NOTHING but a barq-e-tajallee - a small bright lustre of lightening. Just like a lightening sparks in the sky and disappears almost instantly, similarly your hopes, desires, yearnings will all disappear too!
Learn from this fake, passing form of slight relief, that sadness and grief are your everlasting companions and only they will be with you. Happiness is passing. Only grief will stay with you. So drink this wine of hopelessness, tell your senses to go back to sleep because nothing that gives you joy will last!
Some amazing punch packing in simply two lines of a Sher!