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It is always difficult to select a representative work for a poet/author who has a prodigious 
amount of output. Meer Taqi Meer's Kulliyat (complete works) has a total of 6 dewans, 
comprising of 13,585 couplets.He has written poetry in all its forms - Gazals, masnzvis, 
qasidas, rubai, etc. But it was in Gazals that he attained excellence. His masnavis are 
remarkable too, in their own right. 

Here is a Gazal from the latest book by K.C.Kanda on Meer Taqi Meer. It is titled 
"Mir Taqi Mir - Selected Poetry". It was published in 1997 by Sterling Publishers, who are 
also the publishers of all the other books by K.C.Kanda. More about the book later! Here 
is today's ghazal:


shikavaa karuu.N mai.n kab tak us apane meharabaa.N kaa
al-qissaa raftaa raftaa dushman huaa hai jaa.N kaa

(how long can I complain of my friend, kind and wise
step by step he has grown into an enemy of my life)

dii aag ra.ng-e-gul ne vaa.N ai sabaa chaman ko
yaa.N ham jale qafas me.n sun haal aashiyaa.N kaa

(The grove by set ablaze by the brilliant hues of the bloom
Anxious in our prison,we heard the fate of our nest)

har subah mere sar par ik haadisaa nayaa hai
paiva.nd ho zamii.n kaa, shevaa is aasamaa.N kaa

(Everyday I face a calamity fresh and new
To be buried in the dust, is what the heavens devise/want)

kam-fursatii jahaa.N ke majmaa kii kuchh na puuchho
ahavaal kyaa kahuu.N mai.n, is majlis-e-ravaa.N kaa

(The lack of time of this milling crowd defies the senses
don't ask me where it goes, this flowing tide of life)

yaa roye, yaa rulaaye, apanii to yuu.N hii guzarii
kyaa zikr ham safiiraan yaaraa.N-e-shaadamaa.N kaa

(crying or making others cry, thus have we spent our lives
tell me not O friend of the lucky/happy guys)

qaid-e-qafas me.n hai.n to Khidmat hai naaligii kii
gulashan me.n the to ham ko ma.nsab thaa rauzaaKhvaa.N kaa

(Now that we are in the cage, we raise painful wails
When we stayed in the garden, we were given to elegise [sing of mourning])

puuchho to 'Mir' se kyaa ko_ii nazar pa.Daa hai
cheharaa utar rahaa hai kuchh aaj us javaa.N kaa

(Go inquire from Meer is he has perchance fallen in love
the youth's face seems to be looking quite pale today)

The English translations are based on the translations by K.C.Kanda. Like other books 
by him, this too has the original Urdu text, along with an English translation and a 
Romanized version of the Urdu text. The book showcases 108 Gazals by Meer, as 
well as excerpts from 5 of his masnavis - "Khvaab-o-Khayaal", "Dariyaa-e-Ishq", 
"Ghar kaa Haal", "JhooTh" and "Duniyaa". Another interesting feature of the book 
is the introduction of relevant rubayi or qataah by Meer for some of the Gazals. 

In all a very good buy, but unfortunately, the books seems to be out of print/out of 
stock currently. 

Our thanks to all those who responded to my plea for a copy of Mehfil-e-Gazal #1. 
We were overwhelmed. :-)
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