While I am quoting...

- the innocent sleep,
Sleep that knits up the ravell'd sleeve of care,
The death of each day's life, sore labour's bath,
Balm of hurt minds, great nature's second course,
Chief nourisher in life's feast,--

- Macbeth

********

Madhosh hamesha rahata hoon,
Khamosh hoon kab kuch kahata hoon,
Koi kya jaane, seene mein mere,
Hai bijli ka bhi angaara...

Itna na mujh se tu pyaar badha,
Ke main ek baadal aawaara....

-Rajinder Krishan, Talat Mahmood, Salil Chowdhury

********

To be, or not to be: that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them?

- Hamlet

Here's something to keep this blog alive:

Is mehfil-e-kaif-o-masti mein, is anjuman-e-irfani mein,
Sab jaam-ba-kaf baithe hi rahe, ham pii bhi gaye, chalka bhi gaye.
- Majaz Lucknowi

kaif=joy; anjuman=gathering; irfan=knowledge, wisdom;
jaam-ba-kaf=holding the wine-glass in the hand

(At this happy party, at this joyful, eminent gathering,
While the others merely held their glasses, I drank a lot, and I spilled some too...)

Though I have'nt ever had occasion to feel quite like the poet feels above, I like the sher very much. I almost smirk with vicarious smugness whenever I think of it. Quite a wit, what?