The poem uses the metaphor of a Sahokaar (Money Lender) and Naqdi (Cash) to represent the transaction of life and time.
The narrator begins with a stark realization of his mortality and the depletion of his life's savings:
"Ab umar ki naqdi khatam huyi / ab hum ko udhaar ki haajat hai..." (The cash of my age is now finished / now I have a need for a loan...)
Explanation: The poet equates his life span with a bank account that has run dry. He urgently needs more time, which he frames as a loan.
"hai koi jo sahokaar bane? / hai koi jo dewan haar bane?" (Is there anyone who can be a money-lender? / Is there anyone who can be a giver?)
Explanation: He pleads with an unknown entity (perhaps God, life, or the universe) for an extension.
"kuch saal maheene din logon! / par sood biyaj ke bin logo!" (A few years, months, days, people! / But without interest or profit, people!)
Explanation: He makes a simple request for time, hoping to avoid the heavy price (interest) of borrowed time.
The narrator's request is met with silence, leading to reflection on unfinished business:
"kya koi bhi sahokaar nahi? / kyun sab ne sar ko jhukaya hai..." (Is there no money-lender? / Why has everyone lowered their head...)
Explanation: When the topic of lending time (life) comes up, everyone (representing his peers or the world) turns away, acknowledging the impossibility of the request.
"kuch kaam hamein niptaane hain... / kuch pyar dulaar ke dhande hain / kuch jag ke doosre phande hain" (I have some tasks to complete... / some business of love and affection / some other worldly traps/dealings)
Explanation: He justifies his need for more time by listing the unfulfilled emotional tasks—the gentle dealings of life and love he still needs to attend to.
His plea becomes more desperate, showing he is willing to pay any price:
"hum mangte nahi hazaar baras / dus paanch baras do chaar baras" (I am not asking for a thousand years / just ten, five, two, or four years.)
"haan sood boyaaj bhi de leinge / haan aur khiraaj bhi de leinge" (Yes, I will give the interest too / Yes, I will also give the tax/tribute.)
Explanation: He retracts his earlier request for a free loan and is now willing to pay the price—be it sood (interest) or khiraaj (tribute/tax)—for a short extension.
A sudden shift introduces an unexpected presence and dismisses his initial audience:
"tum kon tumhara naam hai kya? / kyun is majme me aaye ho?" (Who are you, what is your name? / Why have you come to this gathering?)
Explanation: He confronts someone new who has entered the "gathering" of his financial crisis (his friends/peers).
"ab geet gaya sangeet gaya / haan shair ka mousam beet gaya... / ab patjhar aayi paat girey" (Now the song is gone, the music is gone / Yes, the season of poetry is over... / Now autumn has come, the leaves have fallen.)
Explanation: He uses the metaphor of autumn to describe his age, signaling the end of his prime creative life.
"tum jao, insey baat karein / hum tum se na mulaqaat karein" (You go, I will speak to them / I will not meet with you.)
Explanation: He tells the intruder to leave, preferring to deal with his old friends (yaar purane), who possess umer ke maah-o-saal (the months and years of age), hoping one of them will offer him time.
The poem reaches its emotional climax as the old friends flee, leaving only the intruder:
"Sub dost gaye sub yaar gaye / They jitnay sahookaar gaye" (All friends left, all lovers left / All the money-lenders left.)
"Bus Eik yeah naari bethi hai! / Yeah kon hai? kiya hai? kaisi hai?" (Only this one woman is sitting! / Who is she? What is she? How is she?)
Explanation: His peers, who had plenty of time, all fled when asked to share. The only one left is the mysterious, beautiful woman he had initially dismissed.
"Tum sohni ho, man-mohnni ho! / Tum ja ker poori umr jeeyoo!" (You are beautiful, heart-stealing! / You go and live your full life!)
Explanation: He sees her youth and urges her not to sacrifice her precious years, acknowledging the value of the time he is asking for.
The poem concludes with the narrator realizing that only love and affection can truly offer an extension of life, not money or logic:
"Jab maaNgeiN jeevan ki ghaRiyaaN / "Gustaakh AkhiyaaN kith Ja laRiyaaN" (When I ask for the moments of life / "Where did the naughty eyes go and fight [i.e., meet]?)
Explanation: This line suggests the woman is his beloved, and the memory of their loving gaze is what brings life back.
"Hum qarz tummeiN lauta deinge / Kuch aur bhi ghaRiyaaN la Deinge" (I will return the loan to you / I will bring you some more moments.)
"Ju Saa'at-o mah-o saal nahiN / Wo ghaRiyaaN jin ko zavaal nahiN" (Those moments that are not hours, months, or years / Those moments which have no end [decay].)
Explanation: He promises to repay her not with time itself, but with eternal, timeless moments of love and memory—moments of joy that defy the decay of age.
"Lo Apnay Ji MeiN Utaar Liya / Lo Hum Nay Tum Se Udhaar Liya......" (See, I have absorbed it within my soul / See, I have taken the loan from you...)
The "loan" is ultimately taken from his beloved's essence, suggesting that the best part of living longer is the love and emotional fulfillment it brings, which is the only thing that can truly conquer the fear of death.
