For those who still haven't read hassan koozagar. It is a lengthy poem by N.M Rashid, divided into four parts. It is a poem about guilt, shame, regret, and poverty. The plot follow Hassan who is a renown potter. The crockery he makes is well received by rich and poor alike > https://twitter.com/iBasitt/status/1387797107793354753

One day he sees a woman, Jahan-zaad, in the bazar and instantly falls in love with her. Luckily he also gets to spend a night with her, and they travel in a boat over the river of Dajla into the city of Aleppo where they spend the night bathing together in a pool of water. >

Jahan-zaad is quite bold. She makes romantic overtures towards him, and mentions one of her past lovers who made fierce love to her, pulled her hair & bit her lips. But Hassan is shy and doesn't respond to her overtures. The shame and guilt from that night leaves him broken >

He is depressed and his hands start shivering due to his poor health, which ultimately affects his pottery skills. He's no more the city's most renown potter. Owing to the financial loss, coupled with his wife's constant complaints, he loses his mind and runs away to Baghdad. >

He returns from Baghdad after 9 years and is now relatively in a better shape, when one day he sees Jahan-zaad again in bazar, in front of Yousaf's perfume shop. He looks at her and she looks back at her, approvingly again. He follows her to her home & stands outside her window >

And starts to introduce himself, and narrates to her what he has went through over the past 9 years, and thus the poem starts :

جہاں زاد نیچے گلی میں ترے در کے آگے

یہ میں سوختہ سر حسن کوزہ گر ہوں!

تجھے صبح بازار میں بوڑھے عطار یوسف

کی دکان پر میں نے دیکھا

@achayaarbas you might like this thread