इस कोहना-ख़राबे में आबादी न कर मुनइ'म
यक शहर नहीं याँ जो सहरा न हुआ होगा
— Mir Taqi Mir
Meaning
In this ruin and desolation, do not establish a settlement, O Munim; there is no city here that has not become a desert.
Explanation
This couplet is a poignant warning about transient beauty and inevitable decay. The speaker cautions the beloved (Munayyam) against settling in a place of ruin and decay. Mir Taqi Mir suggests that the location they are in is so desolate that it is impossible for any city nearby to remain untouched by the desert's spread. It’s a beautiful lament on the fragility of love and life itself.
