हर एक बात पे कहते हो तुम की तू क्या है

har ek baat pe kahate ho tum ki tuu kyaa hai
tumhi.n kaho ke ye a.ndaaz-e-guftaguu kyaa hai

हर एक बात पे कहते हो तुम की तू क्या है
तुम्हीं कहो के ये अंदाज़ ऐ गुफ्तगू क्या है?

At everything that I say, you say, “Who are you”?
Tell me what kind of talk is this?

na shole mein ye karishmaa na barq mein ye adaa
koii bataao ki vo shoKh-e-tu.ndaKhuu kyaa hai

न शोले में ये करिश्मा न बर्क में ये अदा
कोई बताओ की वो शोख ऐ तुन्दा खू क्या है?

Neither the flame has this miracle, nor the lightning this grace,
Will anyone tell me, what is that ill tempered mischievous/coquettish one.

ye rashk hai ki vo hotaa hai hamasuKhan hamase
vagarnaa Khauf-e-badaamozii-e-adu kyaa hai

ये रश्क है की वो होता है हमसुखन हमसे
वगरना खौफ ऐ बदामोजी ऐ अदू क्या है?

My envy is that he converses with you
Otherwise what is the fear that he would mislead you (against me).

chipak rahaa hai badan par lahuu se pairaahan
hamaarii jeb ko an haajat-e-rafuu kyaa hai?

चिपक रहा है बदन पर लहू से पैराहन
हमारी जेब को अब हाजत-ऐ-रफू कया है?

Sticking to the body is the dress with blood
What is the need now to darn the collar?
jalaa hia jism jahaa.N dil bhii jal gayaa hogaa
kuredate ho jo ab raakh justajuu kyaa hai?

जला है जिस्म जहाँ दिल भी जल गया होगा
कुरेदते हो जो अब राख जुस्तजू क्या है?

Where the body has burned, the heart too must have been burned,
Raking/poking the ashes, what do you desire for (search for) now?
rago.n me.n dau.Date phirane ke ham nahii.n qaayal
jab aa.Nkh hii se na Tapakaa to phir lahuu kyaa hai?

रगों में दौड़ते फिरने के हम नहीं कायल
जब आँख से ही न टपका तोः फिर लहू क्या है?

We do not believe in only running through the viens
When it does not drip through the eye, then is it blood at all?
vo chiiz jisake liye hamako ho bahisht aziiz
sivaa_e baadaa-e-gulfaam-e-mushkabuu kyaa hai?

वो चीज़ जिसके लिए हमको है बहिश्त अजीज
सिवा ऐ बादा ऐ गुलफाम ऐ मुश्कबू क्या है?

The thing for which paradise is dear to us
Is nothing except the pink, musk scented wine.

piyuu.N sharaab agar Khum bhii dekh luu.N do chaar
ye shiishaa-o-qadaah-o-kuuzaa-o-subuu kyaa hai?

पियू शराब अगर खुम भी देख लूँ दो चार
यह शीशा ओ क़दः ओ कूजा ओ सुबू क्या है?

I would drink wine if I see a few wine barrels
What is this glass and goblet and tumbler.
rahii na taaqat-e-guftaar aur agar ho bhii
to kis ummiid pe kahiye ke aarazuu kyaa hai?

रही न ताक़त ऐ गुफ्तार और अगर हो भी
टू किस उम्मीद पे कहिये के आरजू क्या है?

The strength to speak has gone; and even if it existed
With what expectation would one say “What is my desire?”

banaa hai shaah kaa musaahib, phire hai itaraataa
vagarnaa shahar me.n "Ghalib" kii aabaruu kyaa hai?

बना है शाह का मुसाहिब फिरे है इतराता
वगरना सहर में 'ग़ालिब' की आबरू क्या है?

Having become the king’s associate he is putting on airs
Otherwise what dignity does Ghalib have in the city.

Hazaaron Khwahishein Aisi

hazaaro.n Khvaahishe.n aisii ki har Khvaaish pe dam nikale
bahut nikale mere armaa.N lekin phir bhii kam nikale[khwaish: desire]

I have a thousand desires, all desires worth dying for
Though many of my desires were fulfilled, majority remained unfulfilled.
This is another philosophical sher of Ghalib. Here he talks about human desires which define human existence. Life is all about desires. While some of these desires do get fulfilled, others don’t. With the passage of time new desires keep getting added in this long list of desires. So even if many of a man’s desires are fulfilled, he is never satisfied, for many still remain unfulfilled.

Dare kyuu.N meraa qaatil kyaa rahegaa usakii gardan par
vo Khuu.N jo chashm-e-tar se umr bhar yuu.N dam-ba-dam nikale[chashm-e-tar: wet eyes; dam-ba-dam: continuously]

Why should my murderer/killer be afraid for what will remain on her neck?
This blood that has flowed continuously from my wet eyes throughout life.
Ghalib asks his slayer (his beloved), why she fears slaying him? No blood will remain on her neck (hand), even if she slays him for he has no blood left in him. All his blood has flown continuously through his eyes all his life. So she need not fear any legal or moral compunction in killing him. She will not be punished for slaying him.

nikalanaa Khuld se aadam kaa sunate aaye hai.n lekin bahut be-aabaruu hokar tere kuuche se ham nikale[Khuld: paradise; be-aabaruu: disgrace; kuuchaa: street]

We had heard of Adam’s expulsion from Paradise
With great disgrace I came out of your street.
This ‘sher’ though one of Ghalib’s of-quoted ones has been subject to various interpretations by scholars. While the apparent meaning is pretty clear, some of the different interpretations are like, (a) while the fate of Adam was long in the past, I suffer this disgrace now (b) people have heard about Adam’s case and so sympathize with his suffering, I have suffered no less. Hali (Ghalib’s student) says that the addition of the word ‘bahut’ implied that his disgrace was far greater than Adam’s. Take your pick…

huii is daur me.n ma.nsuub mujhase baadaa-ashaamii phir aayaa vo zamaana jo jahaa.N se jaam-e-jam nikale[daur: era, ma.nsuub: association, baada-aashaami: wine drinking]
[jam-e-jam: goblet of King Jamshed]

In this era wine drinking has become associated with me
The time has come for the Goblet of King Jamshed to re-appear in this world.
Ghalib says that in this era wine drinking has become synonymous with his name. So the time for King Jamshed’s goblet to reappear has come. It is believed that King Jamshed was the discoverer of wine and goblet. Here he compares his prowess of drinking to King Jamshed.

huii jinase tavaqqo Khastagii kii daad paane kii vo hamase bhii ziyaadaa Khastaa-e-teG-e-sitam nikale[tavaqqo:expectation; Khastagii:injury, daad: appreciation]
[Khasta: broken/sick/injured, teg-e-sitam: sword of cruelty]

From those whom I expected appreciation of my wounds
They turned out to be even more wounded by the swords of tyranny.

Another of Ghalib’s sher subject to multiple interpretations and also according to us, philosophical. Here he says that how could he expect any appreciation of his sufferings, when others suffer more than him. In this world everyone seeks understanding of their own problems but fail to realize that others have problems too and that their problems may be of a far greater magnitude than ours. Some writers have interpreted it as Ghalib’s lament as to how his beloved could appreciate his wounded feelings when her own feelings had been wounded by someone else i.e. her love for the other person had not been reciprocated.

muhabbat me.n nahii.n hai farq jiine aur marane kaa
usii ko dekh kar jiite hai.n jis kaafir pe dam nikale[dam nikalna: to die]

In love there is no difference between life and death
I live to see her, the one, over who I die.
In love, the boundary between life and death is erased. One thinks of the lover all the time, lives in the hope of seeing her, and is ready to lay down his life for her. Well, slightly run of the mill stuff from Ghalib, this one.

Kahaa.N maiKhaane ka daravaazaa 'Ghalib' aur kahaa.N vaaiz
par itanaa jaanate hai.n kal vo jaataa thaa ke ham nikale[maikana: bar, vaaiz: preacher]

Where the door to the bar, where Ghalib and where the preacher (how can you compare them)
But I know this much, yesterday, when he was going, I was coming out.
The preacher calls wine drinking all bad and goads people against it. But I guess he too has his ‘pegs’. So despite all his teachings of abstinence, he too drinks (implying that addiction to wine is universal and that drinking comes naturally to people). Now, what we like about this sher is its tongue in cheek approach. He does not directly accuse the preacher of drinking, but says yesterday he saw him ‘passing by’ the bar and so was surprised. The rest he leaves to the imagination of the reader.

Kab Se Hunn kya bataoon

Qaasid ke aate aate hi khat ik aur likh rakhuun
main jaanataa huun jo vo likhenge jawaab mein

Let me write a letter before the Postman comes back with the message from my beloved as I know what the reply is going to be (or there will be no reply). Please appreciate Ghalib's humour here.

[Qaasid : Messenger]

kab se huun kyaa bataauun jahaan-e-kharaab mein
shab haaye hijr ko bhii rakhuun gar hisaab mein   

Since long I have been in a world of problems if I include the nights and the period of separation. 

[Jahaan-e-kharaab : World of problems; Shab : night; Haaye : shame; Hijr : separation ]

mujh tak kab un kii bazm mein aataa thaa daur-e-jaam
saaqii ne kuchh milaa na diyaa ho sharaab mein  

When did it happen in her party that I got a chance to have a glass of liquor when it was served among the guests (There was always none left till the tray reached me). And today that I am getting a oppurtunity to have a glass that I am suspecting that the bar tender has mixed something in the liquor. This has a literal and implied meaning. Please try and understand both. 

[bazm : mehfil; saaqi : bar tender]

taa phir na intazaar mein niind aaye umr bhar
aane kaa ahad kar gaye aaye jo Khwaab mein

It may happen that I may not be able to sleep throughout my life as she came in my dreams and promised me to come and meet me.

Ghalib chutii sharaab par ab bhii kabhii kabhii
piitaa huun roz-e-abr-o-shab-e-maahataab mein

I have left alcohol but I stlll drink sometimes on cloudy days and moonlit nights. 

aah ko chaahiye ik umr asar hone tak

aah ko chaahiye ik umr asar hone tak
kaun jiitaa hai terii zulf ke sar hone tak

A lifetime passes before a sigh shows its effects
Who would wait so long to see your curls fixed up

daam-e har mauj mein hai halqah-e sad kaam-e nihang
dekhein kyaa guzre hai qatre pah guhar hone tak

A hundred dragon mouths hurl a single ocean wave-net
See what an ordeal a droplet takes to turn into a pearl

aashiqii sabr-talab aur tamannaa betaab
dil kaa kyaa rang karuun khun-e jigar hone tak

Love asks for patience but lust is restless
What color do I call my heart till it bleeds to death

ham ne maanaa kih tagaaful na karoge lekin
khaak ho jaaeinge ham tum ko khabar hone tak

You won't disregard me, I know that, but when
you know of me I would have become dust

partav-e khur se hai shabnam ko fanaa ki taaliim
main bhii huun ek inaayat kii nazar hone tak

Each drop of dew knows sun rays bring its death
I will last likewise till you cast glances at me

yak nazar besh nahiin fursat-e hastii gaafil
garmii-e bazm hai ik raqs-e sharar hone tak

A glance from you will bring my life to end
Like the dancing sparks end a party's  fun

gam-e hastii kaa asad kis se ho juz marg ilaaj
shamma har rang mein jaltii hai sahar hone tak

Life is all suffering, Asad. Its cure is only death
The candle burns in many colors till the morning comes

Dost Gham-khwari mein meri

Dost gamkhvari mein meri sai farmavenge kya
zakhm ke bharne talak nakhun na badh javenge kya
beniyazi had se guzri banda paravar kab talak
hum kahenge hal-e-dil aur aap farmavenge kya
hazarat-e-naseh gar aayen dida-o-dil farsh-e-rah
koi mujh ko ye to samajha do ki samajhavenge kya
aj van teg-o-kafan bandhe hue jata hun main
uzr mera qatl karne mein wo ab lavenge kya
gar kiya naseh ne hum ko qaid acha yon sahi
ye junun-e-ishq ke andaz chhut javenge kya
khana zad-e-zulf hain zanjir se bhagenge kya
hain giraftar-e-vafa | zindan se ghabaravenge kya
hai ab is mamure mein kahat-e-gam-e-ulfat asad
hum ne ye mana ki dilli mein rahe khavenge kya

Wo firaaq aur wo visaal kahaan

Wo firaaq aur wo visaal kahaan

Wo shab-o-roz-o-maah-o-saal kahaan

(those meetings and departures are no more,

Gone are those days and months and years)

Fursat-e-kaarobaar-e-shauq kise

Zauq-e-nazaara-e-jamaal kahaan

(Who has the time to pursue hobbies,

I am deprived of the delight of praising my loved one)

Thee wo ik shakhs ke tasavvur se

Ab wo raanaai-e-khayaal kahaan

(Her existence was merely a result of somebody’s thought,

Now those tender thoughts are no more)

Aisa aasaan nahin lahoo rona

Dil mein taaqat jigar mein haal kahaan

(It’s not easy to cry your heart out (the phrase” lahoo rona” literally means to cry out tears of blood),

There’s no physical and emotional strength left in me)

Fikr-e-duniya mein sar khapaata hoon

Main kahaan aur ye wabaal kahaan

(I try to find a solution to the problems of this world,

I forget every time that it’s not my cup of tea)

Muzamahil ho gaye quwaa Ghaalib

Wo anaasir mein eitdaal kahaan

(All my natural powers have abated,

Now my words don’t carry any weight)

Naqsh Fariyadi

Mirza Ghalib needs no introduction to followers of Urdu poetry. Reproduced below is one of his most difficult to understand (at least I felt so!) poem. The accompanying translation is credited to Dr. Sarfaraz K. Niazi. The beauty of the poem is in its nuances, so if you do read, read it more than once, and I am sure you will discover more than one meaning in this great work...


Enjoy...

The poem-
Naqsh faryaadi hai kiski shaukhi-e tehreer ka
Kagazi hai pairahan har paikar-e tasveer ka


Kaay-kaay-e-sakht-janeeha-e tanhai na poochh
Subha karna shaam ka lana hai juu-e-sheer ka


Jazbah-e-bey-ikhtiyaar-e shouk deykha chahiye
Sinah-e shamseer sey baahar hai dum shamsheer ka


Aagahee daam-e shunidan jis qadar chaahey bichhaaye
Mudad aa anka hai apney aalam-e takreer ka


Baski hoon Ghalib aseeri mein bhi aatish zer-e pa
Muu-e aatish-deedah hai halkah meri zanjeer ka.

and the translation...

Naqsh faryadi hai kis ki shokhi-e tahrir ka
kaghazi hai pairahan her paikar-e tasvir ka
Against whose playful writing are the words complainants?
Made of paper is the attire of the countenance of every image.

[naqsh: mark, word; faryadi: pleader, crier; shokh: playful, mischievous; kaghaz: paper; tahrlr. writing; pairahan: attire, clothes; paikar: face, countenance, figure, mould, model, form, portrait, likeliness, an idol-temple; tasvir: forming, fashioning, painting, limning, picture, image, effigy, likeness, sketch, drawing.]

This opening verse of Ghalib's Urdu ghazal divan is critical of God in a rather unusual manner—with an element of surprise! In it, Ghalib alludes to God's neglect and obliviousness towards us. "Whose mischief was it to create this Universe?" the first line asks in a rather perplexed manner. This would have been a straightforward ode to the Lord if in the first verse the poet had not raised the question, "who has done it?" but instead stated, "He did it." This would have been in line with the tradition of making the first verse an ode to the Lord. This is followed by a description of the sheer helplessness of humankind— all that is visible (or corporeal) in the Universe is clad in "paper dress," as if pleading or bowing before the Lord in awe. This construction of "pleading in paper attire" is drawn from an old Persian tradition in which the men would enter the courts of their kings wearing clothing made of paper in order to display their humility. In this sense, Ghalib implies that we stand before God in a similarly humbled (not humble) way. Another literary support to the construction of paper attire comes from the word "candidate," derived from Latin and means someone who is presenting his or her credentials wearing "white" attire.

In Ghalib's own words, this verse illustrates that the existence of man itself is the reason for his sorrow and despair. In the first line, Ghalib talks about the Universe as if it were a thoughtless creation, a careless stroke of a pen, an undesirable graffiti, wherein each "word" of that "graffiti" ponders the purpose for its creation. If the end were sorrow and grievance, then what was the need to create us? In the second line, Ghalib talks about everything in the Universe being "wrapped in paper". This draws a beautiful correlation between God's writing and God's creation of humanity — the humility of paper dress and the humility of the written word (i.e., our being) on the paper (i.e., this world) are in a sense synonymous. (Note: paper is also impermanent; writing on paper as opposed to carving on stone is displayed here as a source of its impermanence.) In the first line, there is a plea to know the cause for this injustice while the second line expresses the extreme insignificance of human existence. (In the Bible there is a famous quote that reads, "God's ways are not our ways", meaning, we cannot understand the sense of this senselessness, this suffering.) It is clear that this verse is more ironic than claiming man's position in the Universe; even while Ghalib questions, "who has done it," he leaves room for us to ponder that perhaps it was God?kavkav-e sakht jani hai tanhai, na(h) puchh
subh karna sham ka, lana hai ju-e shir ka
Inquire not of my forebearance to the incessant hammering in the loneliness.
Turning night into day is like unearthing a channel of milk.[kavkav: continuous beating of hard stone with a sharp object; sakht jani hai: ability to bear extreme agony—expressed as surviving the state of extreme commotion and agitation; ju-e shir: channel of milk. (Referring to the legendary lover farhad's digging the channel of milk out of the mountain for King Khusrao, as a condition of having his wife, Shirin. ]

The deeply inflicted pain of being away from the beloved, spending lonely nights without her, is no less formidable than digging out a channel of milk, as the legendary hero, Farhad did. The poet asserts that in the path of love, one has to be just as dedicated, tough, and forbearing. While Farhad did this only once, the poet suffers daily, belittling the efforts of the legendary lover and magnifying the pain of the nights of separation. Here, Ghalib compares the intensity of his passion and desire with the legendary lover, Farhad. In this way, he implies that the severity of his pain is on par with the intensity of the lover's. While the pain of Farhad's work was physical, the poet's agony is mental or spiritual in nature. In both instances, however, extreme resilience is needed to survive. Note how the poet makes a play on words using continuous tapping as if with a sharp object. It is almost like the mountain digger was digging, hardening the heart like a callous by the tapping.jazb'a(h)-e be ikhtiar-e shauq dekha chahiye
sin'a(h)-e shamshir se bahar hai dam shamshir ka
Worth seeing is the spirit of my uncontrollable desire,
Causing the edge of the sword to unfurl from its sheath.[dam: breath; dam-e shamshir: edge of sword.]

My desire to sacrifice myself is so intense that the sword edge has come out of its casing. The sword finds me so ripe for sacrifice that it cannot control itself to grant me my wish. The expulsion of breath further symbolizes an expression of extreme desire to act.

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agahi dam-e shanidan jis qadar chdhe bichhae
muddaa unqa hai apne 'alam-e taqrir ka
No matter how awareness spreads its nets of hearing,
The meaning is the nonexistent bird in the style of my expression.[agahi: awareness; dam: net; shanidan: to hear, listen, or attend to; muddaa: whatever is meant; unqa: legendary bird that does not exist (ala Unicorn). ]

No matter how hard one tries to understand Ghalib's verses, they shall remain unfathomable; trying to understand them is like catching a bird that does not exist. The net of reasoning and intelligence cannot catch my thoughts. Ghalib was oft blamed for adducing complex thoughts. He openly admits that it is difficult, even for a genius, to understand the true meaning of his verses.baske hun Ghalib asiri men bhi atish zer pa
mue atish dida(h) hai halqa(h) meri zanjir ka
Whereas, even in bondage, there is fire under my feet, Ghalib,
The chains that bind me are merely curls of singed hair.

[baske: whereas; atish zer pa: impatient, cinders (fire) under feet; mue atish: heat-damaged hair (not burned), hair, singed, fragile; halqa(h): ring.]

O' Ghalib, even in bondage I am so impassioned that the links of the chain tying me down are like curls of singed, fragile hair. The complexity of the verse depends on "fire" and "singed hair." Having reached my ultimate desire of surrendering to you, I am impatient for the pain of suffering. The heat of my desire and passion has weakened the rings of the chain, allowing me imminent freedom to begin suffering this pain again. The images of fire beneath the feet (an illustration of impatience and passion) and the curls of damaged hair (not burned) so close to "fire" are remarkable. Impatience, bondage, chain-links, fire, singed hair — all parts of a very complex visualization. The personality of the lover who does not long for bondage, who is a free soul, is eloquently expressed here.

By Mirza Ghalib
Translated by: Dr Sarfaraz K. Niazi