Mirza Ghalib

(This bio-pic written by #shair member @sairmir)

Hoga koi aisa bhi Jo "Ghalib" ko na jaane
Shayar to woh accha hai pa badnaam bohut hai'.....

[It's difficult to find a person who has no opinion about Ghalib'
He is a good poet, but the dark rumors about him are more than enough....]

'The Magician' as many poetry zealots including myself would call him,
is better known to the world as 'Mirza Asad Ullah Khan Ghalib' ,
'Ghalib' being his pen name. The word 'Ghalib' translates to
'Victorious'. Popularly known as Mirza Nausha, he had quite a few
titles attributed to him.,Najjmudawia ('Star of the Realm'),
Dahirul-Mulk ('Honor of the Country') and Nizam Jang ('Hero of War')
to name a few.

Born in Agra On December 27, 1797 , little did the world know that
this young boy who started poetry at the tender age of 10, would go on
to become arguably one of the greatest poets Urdu language, or if I
may add, 'any language' will ever see. Ghalib had an unsupervised
childhood as first his father and then his uncle died. Married at the
young age of 13 to Umrao Begum, Ghalib moved on to settle in
Delhi.Never able to cope up with his marriage, Ghalib, in one of his
letters, went ahead to describe marriage as his second imprisonment,
Life itself being the first.

The agony of losing all their new born children dented the couple
beyond repair as none of their seven children survived infancy.
However the torment somewhat faded away when Ghalib adopted his wife's
nephew 'Arif’. But the real cataclysm was yet to take place. Arif too
died at a young age. When this happened, Mirza was in Kolkata and got
acquainted with this news on his return back home. Stupefied, this
tragedy pushed Ghalib into writing one of his most critically
acclaimed and perhaps the most despondent ghazal ever, a few couplets
from which are:

‘Laazim Tha Ki Dekho Mera Rasta Koee Din Aur,
Tanha Gaye Kyon ? Ab Raho Tanha Koee Din Aur

Jaate Huve Kahte Ho, Qayaamat Ko Milenge
Kya Khoob ! Qayaamat Ka Hai Goya Koee Din Aur ?

Haan ‘Ei Falak-E-Peer, Javaan Tha Abhee ‘Aarif
Kya Tera Bigadata Jo Na Marta Koee Din Aur ?’….

[ It was necessary/proper that you would {wait for me / 'watch my
road'} a few days more
why did you go alone? --now remain alone a few days more!

while going, you say, 'we'll meet on Doomsday'
that's a good one! as if Doomsday is some other day!

indeed, oh ancient/venerable Sky, Arif was still young
what harm would it have done you, if he hadn't died for a few days more? ]….


Initially Ghalib's style of writing was incomprehensible to most
people. He would go on to defend himself and say:

‘Mushqil hai zabs kalaam mera ai dil
sun sun ke usey sukhvanvaraane kaamil

Aasaan kehne ki kartey hain farmaaish
goyam mushqil vargna goyam mushqil’….

['I agree, O heart, that my Ghazals are not easy to take in,
When they hear my work, experienced poets
Tell me I should write something easier to understand,
I have to write what's difficult, otherwise it is difficult to write.']

However acting upon the advice of a close friend of his, Ghalib
started to write in a relatively easier manner.

Infamous for being an alcoholic, a gambler and a social outcast, his
contemporaries would always look down on him. Infact Ghalib was twice
arrested for gambling. Incidentally the first and second editions of
his 'Deewan' were published in the same years when he was arrested.
This never deterred his confidence, and why should it, for Mirza had a
league of his own. Having said this, Ghalib would time and again hint
towards the realization of all his repugnant avocations as is evident
on many occasions in his poetry, for instance,

'Yeh Masaayil-e-tassawuf, yeh Tera Bayaan Ghalib,
Tujhe hum wali samajhte, jo na baadakhwaar hota'

[ Your talk about spiritual matters is great, Oh Ghalib
You could have been thought of as a sage/saint if you didn't drink
all the time)

Ghalib was a visionary too. He was probably one of the first persons
to point out the 'Divide and rule' policy of the British especially on
the basis of language and region.
A very important aspect about Mirza Ghalib's life was his recognition
of his own proficiency. According to one anecdote, although Ghalib was
going through a huge financial crunch at the time, he refused to
accept the proposal of heading the Persian Department at the Delhi
College in 1842 A.D. only because the then British official Mr. Thomas
didn't personally come and offer him the post but sent an informer
instead. This goes on to speak volumes about the level of
self-esteem, the dignity Mirza Ghalib had. Infact, Ghalib's
commendation of his own work and abilities becomes incontrovertible
when we take a
look at his following couplets:

'Hai aur bhi duniya mein sukhanwar bohut acche,
Kehte hain ki "Ghalib" ka hai andaaz-e-bayaan aurr'....

[ We know there is more than one good poet in the world,
But the common belief is that Ghalib’s little jests are great and unique]

'Thii khabar garm ki "Ghalib" ke udeinge purzey,
Dekhne hum bhi Gaye the, pa tamaasha na hua'.......

[ Gossip was that when Ghalib spoke, he would be broken with insults,
Everybody went to watch that event, but it turned out differently ]

The journey, that we refer to as life, could never actually bring
Mirza Ghalib alive. Technically speaking, he just passed every single
day and night as and when it came. As if losing his father, uncle and
all his children wasn't enough, Mirza Ghalib ran into a serious
financial mess after the British stopped his hereditary pension, the
release of which was a long, frustrating and a futile battle for him.
Mirza Ghalib lived a major part of his life in debt, sometimes the
debts reaching sky high. It was years after Ghalib’s death that his
work got appreciated. He died with his achievements unrecognized.
Hence, Ghalib dejected life. Ghalib's hatred for life and his
obsession with ‘death’ can be traced at so many places in his poetry:


‘Marte hain aarzoo mein marne ki,
Maut aatee hai par nahin aatii’…..

[ We die in the longing to die / 'we're dying to die'
death comes, but does not come] …..


Naadaa’n ho jo kehte ho ki kyon jeetey ho “Ghalib”
Kismat mein hai marne Ki tamanna Koii din aurr ‘….

[ You’re foolish when/if you say, why does Ghalib live?
In (my) destiny is the longing to die, for a few days more ]….


‘Qaid-e-hayaat-o-band-e-Gham, asl mein dono ek hain,
maut se pehle aadmi gham se nijaat paaye kyon’….

[ The prison of life, and the bondage of grief-- in
reality/essence/origin both are one.
before death, how/why would a person find escape/release from grief? ]...


Many people then, and many of us even now denounce Mirza Ghalib as a
drunken reprobate, a gambler and some would even go on to call him a
womanizer and an atheist. But how many of us are acquainted with the
other side of his personality? Ghalib, who lived a life of debt and
could hardly take care of himself and his wife, took responsibility of
his brother Yusuf's whole family soon after his brother lost his
mental balance and went on to die after a prolonged period of
psychiatric illness. This proved to be a tremendous burden for Mirza
Nausha but he never shied away from it.

Most of the Ghalibs work went unrecognized while he was alive, partly
because his then contemporaries in the Mughal King Bahadur Shah
Zaffars court 'completely' failed to appreciate the quality of his
work( and they can't be blamed for it for such work was never
witnessed before) and partly because of personal vendetta that Mirza
Ibrahim Zauq (tutor to Bahadur Shah Zaffar) and others had against
Mirza Ghalib. Yes, Ghalib had a huge ego. Yes, he thought he was
peerless. And today when we look at his work, we actually realize that
he was right. A nonpareil that he was was, Ghalib would also make it
known if he'd
appreciate somebody else's work. For instance Ghalib had the highest
possible regard for Mir Taqi Mir and wrote:


‘Raikhtay ke tum hi ustaad nahin ho “Ghalib”
Kehte hain agle zamaane mein koii “Mir” bhii thaa’…

[ only/emphatically you are not the Ustaad of Rekhta (Urdu), Ghalib
they say that in an earlier time/age there was even/also some Mir ]




The 'egoistic' Mirza Ghalib is also known to have offered his
contemporary poet Momin Khan Momin a major part of his 'Deewan' if
Momin offered this single couplet of his to Ghalib (The Momin's
couplet is incidentally my favorite as well).:

'Tum mere paas hotey ho goya,
Jab koi doosra nahin hota’…

[You are with me as if/when nobody else is]


When asked of his religion, Mirza Ghalib is believed to have
considered himself a half-Muslim,. He'd say “I drink wine but I do not
touch pork.” One can make out Mirza Ghalib's lighter side from this.
Some people may claim that God and religion hardly exist in Ghalib's
poetry. But I believe its always about perception. There's hardly
anyone who'd doubt the intensity of 'Ishq-e Majazi' (Metaphorical
love) in Mirza Ghalib's poetry but then, as they say, its all about
application. If we apply Ghalib's poetry to 'Ishq-e-Haqiqi'(The real
love / Love of God) , we reach probably the highest levels of Sufism.

Probably the wittiest poet ever, another anecdote talks about how
Mirza Ghalib once openly taunted Mirza Ibrahim Zauq (King's tutor) by
saying


'Hua hai Shah ka musaahib, phirre hai itraata'

[ he's become the King's companion-- he goes around giving himself airs]

Later when Ghalib was asked to explain his comment in the King's
court, legend has it that Mirza Nausha instantly composed a ghazal in
a matter of seconds to save his skin. This Ghazal is now widely
appreciated by his fans. A few couplets from this masterpiece:

'Har ek baat pe kehte ho tum ki "tu kya hai?",
Tum hii kaho ki yeh andaaz-e-guftaguu kya hai.

Jalaa hai jism, jahaan dil bhi jal gayaa hoga,
Kuredtey ho jo ab raakh, justajoo kya hai…

Hua ha shah ka musaahib, phirre hai itraata,
Wagarna shehr mein "Ghalib" ki aabruu kya hai....

[ At every single utterance you say, 'what are you?!'
only/emphatically you say [=imperative]-- what is this style of speech?!

where the body has burned, even/also the heart will have burned
since you now rake/poke the ashes, what is the 'search' [for]?

He’s become the King’s companion-- he goes around giving himself airs
otherwise, what honor/dignity/reputation does Ghalib have in the city?! ]…


So what's it about Mirza Ghalib's poetry that makes him different from
the others? That consolidates him in a league of his own? That takes
him to a different level altogether? Well, there's 'something' about
Ghalib's poetry. Something that has made millions of us crazy, that
makes us rub our eyes in disbelief, that makes us wonder how a human
mind can acquire such mesmerizing thoughts, that keeps us wanting for
more .Craving actually.

Ghalib wrote fearlessly about almost anything and everything. He
touched almost every aspect of life with his poetry.
Be it the everlasting , ever fresh romantic poetry that can move even
the most obdurate person to tears



‘Taskii’n ko hum na royein. jo zauq-e-nazar mile,
Hooraan-e-khuld mein teri surat magar mile’….


[I wouldn't weep over [the loss of] rest/peace, if pleasure/relish of
seeing you would be available
but among the Hoors/virgins of Paradise your face/form should be available!]



‘Unke dekhe se jo aa jaatii hai munh par raunaq,
woh samajhte hain ke beemaar ka haal achcha hai’….


[ From seeing her, the radiance that comes upon the face,
she considers that the sick person's condition is good ]



'Partav-e-khuur se hai shabnam ko fana'a ki taaleem
main bhi hoon ik inaayat ki nazar hone tak'....

[from the ray of sun is, to the dew, an education in oblivion/destruction
even/also I exist/am until the existence/occurrence of a
single/particular/unique glance of favor (from you)]



Or be it the trademark Ghalib poetry about hopeless despair and the
ironies of life .



‘Bas ke Dushwaar hai har kaam ka aasaa’n hona,
aadmi ka mayassar nahin insaan hona’…..


[ Although it's difficult for every task to be easy
even/also for a man, it's not attainable/attained/easy to become
human/humane ]…


'Gham-e hastii ka “Asad kis se ho juz marg ilaaj
sham’a har rang mein jaltii hai sahar hone tak'


[ For the grief of life,’ Asad’, from what/whom would be the cure,
except death?
The candle, in every color/mood/condition, burns until the coming of dawn ]



‘Daayim padaa huaa tere dar par nahin hoon main,
Khaak aisii zindagii pe ki patthar nahin hoon main’…

[ I am not always lying/fallen at your door
{woe to / dust upon} such a life!-- {in that / since} I am not stone ]….


Ghalib didn't even spare the priests and the Mullahs

'Kahaan maikhaane ka darwaaza "Ghalib" aur kahaan waaiz,
Par itna jaante hain, kal woh jaata tha ki hum nikle'

[How can the door of the wine-house and the Preacher be compared, Ghalib?
But I know this much: yesterday he went in/by, when I was coming out
from there]…


Such was the ease with which Ghalib penned down his thoughts, he wrote
masterpieces even on his favorite objects and places. It won't be out
of place here to mention about Ghalib's love for mangoes.

Ghalib loved Calcutta. He expressed his desire to settle in this city
on numerous occasions.



‘Kalkatte ka Jo zikr kiya tune hamnashiin,
ik teer mere seene mein maara ke haaye haaye’….

[ Why did you speak of Calcutta in front of me , O my friend, now
that you've mentioned it,
I miss the place so much, feels as if somebody shot an arrow
through my chest]



Most of Ghalib's work was destroyed during the revolt of 1857 after
British ransacked the personal libraries of his friend who kept the
only copies of Ghalib's work. Ghalib wrote in one of his letters that
he recovered one of his poems when a beggar came to his doorstep and
recited a Ghalib poem as means of requesting food.

During the latter stages of his life around the revolt of 1857,
disturbed by the violence and bloodshed around, Mirza Ghalib remained
confined to his room, secluded from the outside world. Ghalib left
this world on February 15th, 1869. He didn't die, for he is and will
remain alive in the hearts of millions. Ghalib lost his hearing a few
years before death but he gave us an invaluable treasure in the form
of his poetry that we'll hear, read and cherish forever. Ghalib's
memory had impaired, but he had given this world the most memorable
gift of his quintessential poetry that seems as old as the very
existence of life and as fresh as effloresce, that continues to
bewilder his readers. Mentally alert of his disintegration, he wrote,

“I sleep in the courtyard. Two men carry me onto the veranda and dump
me in a small, dark, side room. I spend the day lying in its dingy
corner. In the evening, I’m again carried out and dumped on the cot.”

The world of poetry is in debt of this mystic, legendary poet and will
ever remain for none can ever replicate what Mirza Ghalib offered to
us.

His wife died on the same date as he died, a year later.

Lastly, I remember reading somewhere that Ghalib would deliver in a
couple of lines, what other poets took a lifetime to say. I can't help
but wonder how true it is.....

I'd like to end with a Ghalib's couplet that, in a sense, expresses my
incapacity to do justice to this great, great poet.

'Puucchte hain woh ki "Ghalib" kaun hai,
Koii batlaao ki hum batlaayein kya'

[They ask me, 'Who is Ghalib?',
Someone tell them, 'What can I say?'


Sair Mir.

sairmir@gmail.com
http://www.twitter.com/sairmir



[References: A few english translations from
http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00ghalib/ghazal_index.html?
]



It is literally impossible to pick a few among Ghalib's poems, each
is a masterpiece by all the standards.
However I leave you with a few of his 'gems'.....





ah ko chaahiye ik umr asar hone tak

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

daam har mauj me.n hai halqaa-e-sad_kaam-e-nahang
dekhe.n kyaa guzare hai qatare pe gauhar hone tak

aashiqii sabr-talab aur tamannaa betaab
dil kaa kyaa rang karuu.N Khuun-e-jigar hone tak

ham ne maanaa ke taGaaful na karoge lekin
Khaak ho jaaye.nge ham tum ko Khabar hone tak

partav-e-Khuur se hai shabanam ko fanaa kii taaliim
mai.n bhii huu.N ek inaayat kii nazar hone tak

yak_nazar besh nahii.n fursat-e-hastii Gaafil
garmii-e-bazm hai ik raqs-e-sharar hone tak

Gam-e-hastii kaa 'Asad' kis se ho juz marg ilaaj
shammaa har rang me.n jalatii hai sahar hone tak


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baaziichaa-e-atfaal hai duniyaa mere aage


baaziichaa-e-atfaal hai duniyaa mere aage
hotaa hai shab-o-roz tamaashaa mere aage

ik khel hai aurang-e-sulemaa.N mere nazadiik
ik baat hai ejaaz-e-masiihaa mere aage

juz naam nahii.n suurat-e-aalam mujhe manzuur
juz vaham nahii.n hastii-e-ashiyaa mere aage

hotaa hai nihaa.N gard me.n seharaa mere hote
ghisataa hai jabii.n Khaak pe dariyaa mere aage

mat puuchh ke kyaa haal hai meraa tere piichhe
tuu dekh ke kyaa rang hai teraa mere aage

sach kahate ho Khud_biin-o-Khud_aaraa huu.N na kyo.N huu.N
baiThaa hai but-e-aa_iinaa siimaa mere aage

phir dekhiye andaaz-e-gul_afshaanii-e-guftaar
rakh de ko_ii paimaanaa-e-sahabaa mere aage

nafrat ka gumaa.N guzare hai mai.n rashk se guzaraa
kyo.N kar kahuu.N lo naam naa us kaa mere aage

imaa.N mujhe roke hai jo khii.nche hai mujhe kufr
kaabaa mere piichhe hai kaliisaa mere aage

aashiq huu.N pe maashuuq_farebii hai mera kaam
majanuu.N ko buraa kahatii hai lailaa mere aage

Khush hote hai.n par vasl me.n yuu.N mar nahii.n jaate
aa_ii shab-e-hijaraa.N kii tamannaa mere aage

hai mauj_zan ik qulzum-e-Khuu.N kaash! yahii ho
aataa hai abhii dekhiye kyaa-kyaa mere aage

go haath ko jumbish nahii.n aa.Nkho.n me.n to dam hai
rahane do abhii saaGar-o-miinaa mere aage

ham_peshaa-o-ham_masharab-o-ham_raaz hai meraa
'Ghalib' ko buraa kyo.N kaho achchhaa mere aage


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daayam pa.Daa huaa tere dar par nahii.n huu.N mai.n

daayam pa.Daa huaa tere dar par nahii.n huu.N mai.n
Khaak aisii zindagii pe ke paththar nahii.n huu.N mai.n

kyuu.N gardish-e-mudaam se ghabaraa na jaaye dil
insaan huu.N, pyaalaa-o-saaGar nahii.n huu.N mai.n

yaarab! zamaanaa mujh ko miTaataa hai kis liye
lauh-e-jahaa.N pe harf-e-mukarrar nahii.n huu.N mai.n

had chaahiye sazaa me.n uquubat ke waaste
aaKhir gunaahagaar huu.N, kaafir nahii.n huu.N mai.n

kis waaste aziiz nahii.n jaanate mujhe
laal-o-zumaruud-o-zar-o-gauhar nahii.n huu.N mai.n

rakhate ho tum qadam merii aa.Nkho.n se kyuu.n dareG
rutabe me.n mahr-o-maah se kamatar nahii.n huu.N mai.n

karate ho mujhako manaa-e-qadam_bos kis liye
kyaa aasmaa.N ke bhii baraabar nahii.n huu.N mai.n

'Ghalib' wazifaa_Khwaar ho, do shaah ko duaa
wo din gaye ki kahate the "naukar nahii.n huu.N mai.n"


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dil hii to hai na sang-o-Khisht dard se bhar na aaye kyuu.N



dil hii to hai na sang-o-Khisht dard se bhar na aaye kyuu.N
roe.nge ham hazaar baar koii hame.n sataaye kyuu.N

dair nahii.n haram nahii.n dar nahii.n aastaa.N nahii.n
baiThe hai.n rahaguzar pe ham Gair hame.n uThaaye kyuu.N

jab vo jamaal-e-dilafaroz, suurat-e-mahr-e-niimaroz
aap hii ho nazaaraasoz, parde me.n muu.Nh chhupaaye kyuu.N

dashnaa-e-Gamzaa jaa.Nsitaa.N, naavak-e-naaz bepanaah
teraa hii aks-e-ruKh sahii, saamane tere aaye kyuu.N

qaid-e-hayaat-o-band-e-Gam asl me.n dono.n ek hai.n
maut se pahale aadamii Gam se najaat paaye kyuu.N

husn aur us pe husn-e-zan rah gaii bulahavas kii sharm
apane pe etimaad hai Gair ko aazamaaye kyuu.N

vaa.N vo Guroor-e-izz-o-naaz yaa.N ye hijaab-e-paas vaz_a
raah me.n ham mile.n kahaa.N, bazm me.n vo bulaaye.n kyuu.N

haa.N vo nahii.n Khudaaparast, jaao vo bevafaa sahii
jisako ho diin-o-dil aziiz, usakii galii me.n jaaye kyuu.N

"Ghalib"-e-Khastaa ke baGair kaun se kaam band hai.n
roiie zaar-zaar kyaa, kiijie haaye-haaye kyuu.N



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kisii ko deke dil koii navaa_sa.nj-e-fuGaa.N kyo.n ho

kisii ko deke dil koii navaa_sa.nj-e-fuGaa.N kyo.n ho
na ho jab dil hii siineme.n to phir muu.Nh me.n zubaa.N kyo.n ho

vo apanii Khuu na chho.De.nge ham apanii vazaa kyo.n badale.n
subuk_saar banake kyaa puuchhe.n ki ham se sar_giraa.N kyo.n ho

kiyaa Gam_Khvaar ne rusavaa lage aag is muhabbat ko
na laaye taab jo Gam kii vo meraa raazadaa.N kyo.n ho

vafaa kaisii kahaa.N kaa ishq jab sar pho.Danaa Thaharaa
to phir ai sang_dil teraa hii sang-e-aastaa.N kyo.n ho

qafas me.n mujh se ruudaad-e-chaman kahate na Dar ham_dam
girii hai jis pe kal bijalii vo meraa aashiyaa.N kyo.n ho

ye kah sakate ho ham dil me.n nahii.n hai.n par ye bataao
ki jab dil me.n tumhii.n tum ho to aa.Nkho.n se nihaa.N kyo.n ho

Galat hai jazabaa-e-dil kaa shikavaa dekho jurm kisakaa hai
na khii.ncho gar tum apane ko kashaakash darmiyaa.N kyo.n ho

ye fitanaa aadamii kii Khaanaaviiraanii ko kyaa kam hai
hue tum dost jisake dushman usakaa aasmaa.N kyo.n ho

yahii hai aazamaanaa to sataanaa kis ko kahate hai.n
aduu ke ho liye jab tum to meraa imtihaa.N kyo.n ho

kahaa tumane ki kyo.n ho Gair ke milane me.n rusavaaii
bajaa kahate ho sach kahate ho phir kahiyo ki haa.N kyo.n ho

nikaalaa chaahataa hai kaam kyaa taano.n se tuu "Ghalib"
tere bemahar kahane se vo tujh par meharabaa.N kyo.n ho



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laazim thaa ki dekho meraa rastaa koii din aur

laazim thaa ki dekho meraa rastaa koii din aur
tanhaa gaye kyo.n ab raho tanhaa koii din aur

miT jaayegaa sar, gar teraa paththar na ghisegaa
huu.N dar pe tere naasiyaa_farsaa koii din aur

aaye ho kal aur aaj hii kahate ho ki jaauu.N
maanaa ki hameshaa nahii.n achchaa koii din aur

jaate hue kahate ho qayaamat ko mile.nge
kyaa Khuub! qayaamat kaa hai goyaa koii din aur

haa.N ae falak-e-piir, javaa.N thaa abhii aarif
kyaa teraa biga.Dataa jo na marataa koii din aur

tum maah-e-shab-e-char_duhum the mere ghar ke
phir kyo.n na rahaa ghar kaa vo naqshaa koii din aur

tum kaun se aise the khare daad-o-sitad ke
karataa malak_ul_maut taqaazaa koii din aur

mujhase tumhe.n nafrat sahii, nayyar se la.Daaii
bachho.n kaa bhii dekhaa na tamaashaa koii din aur

guzarii na bahar_haal yaa muddat Khushii-naaKhush
karanaa thaa javaa.N_marg! guzaaraa koii din aur

naadaa.N ho jo kahate ho ki kyo.n jiite ho 'Ghalib'
qismat me.n hai marane kii tamannaa koii din aur


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taskii.N ko ham na roe.n jo zauq-e-nazar mile

taskii.N ko ham na roe.n jo zauq-e-nazar mile
huraa.N-e-Khuld me.n terii suurat magar mile

apanii galii me.n mujh ko na kar dafn baad-e-qatl
mere pate se Khalq ko kyo.n teraa ghar mile

saaqii garii kii sharm karo aaj varnaa ham
har shab piyaa hii karate hai.n mai jis qadar mile

tujh se to kuchh kalaam nahiin lekin ae nadiim
meraa salaam kahiiyo agar naamaabar mile

tum ko bhii ham dikhaaye ke majanuu.N ne kyaa kiyaa
fursat kashaakash-e-Gam-e-pinhaa.N se gar mile

laazim nahii.n ke Khijr kii ham pairavii kare.n
maanaa ke ek buzurg hame.n ham safar mile

ae saakanaan-e-kuchaa-e-dil_daar dekhanaa
tum ko kahii.n jo Ghalib-e-aashuftaa sar mile


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ye na thii hamaarii qismat ke visaal-e-yaar hotaa

ye na thii hamaarii qismat ke visaal-e-yaar hotaa
agar aur jiite rahate yahii intazaar hotaa

tere vaade par jiye ham to ye jaan jhuuTh jaanaa
ke Khushii se mar na jaate agar aitabaar hotaa

terii naazukii se jaanaa ki ba.Ndhaa thaa ahd_bodaa
kabhii tuu na to.D sakataa agar ustavaar hotaa

koii mere dil se puuchhe tere tiir-e-niimakash ko
ye Khalish kahaa.N se hotii jo jigar ke paar hotaa

ye kahaa.N kii dostii hai ke bane hai.n dost naaseh
koii chaaraasaaz hotaa, koii Gam_gusaar hotaa

rag-e-sang se Tapakataa wo lahuu ki phir na thamataa
jise Gam samajh rahe ho ye agar sharaar hotaa

Gam agarche jaa.N_gusil hai, pe kahaa.N bache.n ke dil hai
Gam-e-ishq gar na hotaa, Gam-e-rozagaar hotaa

kahuu.N kis se mai.n ke kyaa hai, shab-e-Gam burii balaa hai
mujhe kyaa buraa thaa maranaa agar ek baar hotaa

hue mar ke ham jo rusavaa, hue kyo.N na Garq-e-dariyaa
na kabhii janaazaa uThataa, na kahii.n mazaar hotaa

use kaun dekh sakataa ki yaganaa hai wo yaktaa
jo duii kii buu bhii hotii to kahii.n do chaar hotaa

ye masaail-e-tasavvuf, ye teraa bayaan 'Ghalib'
tujhe ham walii samajhate, jo na baadaa_Khvaar hotaa