Home | September '98 Index

Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib requires no introduction to Urdu poetry 
lovers. One of the masters of Urdu poetry, he is also of the most 
oft-sung poet. Any singer worth his/her name always has a few Ghalib 
ghazals in his/her repertoire. "ye na thii hamaarii qismet.." is 
considered the most sung ghazal of all time, almost all well-known 
singers having rendered it at some time or the other.

Though known more for his Urdu poetry, Ghalib himself considered it much 
inferior to his work in Persian. It is interesting to note that Ghalib 
completed the major part of his work in Urdu before his mid-twenties and 
did not return to Urdu for a very long period of time after that. 
However, the intervening period did not seem to have had any effect on 
the brilliance of his poetry. On the contrary, having lost the urge to 
indulge in the use of high-flown convulated imagery that resulted from 
his bias towards Persian poetry, his Urdu poetry became much more 
appealing, more readily understood and hence, more endearing to the 
public. It is noteworthy that the change in styles was carried out 
without any loss in the standard of his poems.

The archives already carry over 70 of his most well-known ghazals. It is 
therefore not easy to present ghazals which are easily identifiable, or 
well known. If our choice fails to meet your expectations, you can 
subscribe it to our failure in choosing a fitting representation of his 
work. Mirza Ghalib is assured of his place in the highest echelons of 
Urdu poets for all times to come.


phir is a.ndaaz se bahaar aa_ii
ke huye mehar-o-maah tamaashaa_ii

[mehar-o-maah = sun and moon]

dekho ai sakinaan-e-khittaa-e-Khaak
is ko kahate hai.n aalam-aaraa_ii

[sakinaan-e-khittaa-e-Khaak = dwellers of this earth]
[aalaam = world; aaraa_ii = ornament]

ke zamii.n ho ga_ii hai sar taa sar
ruukash-e-satahe charKhe minaa_ii

[sar taa sar = infinite]
[ruukash-e-satah-e-charKh-e-minaa_ii = a sky full of stars]

sabze ko jab kahii.n jagah na milii
ban gayaa ruu-e-aab par kaa_ii

[sabze = greenery; ruu-e-aab = water surface; kaa_ii = moss]

sabz-o-gul ke dekhane ke liye
chashm-e-nargis ko dii hai binaa_ii

[sabz-o-gul = greenery and flower (flora)]
[chashm-e-nargis = Nargis is a flower which is shaped like an eye]
[binaa_ii = sight]

hai havaa me.n sharaab kii taasiir
badaanoshii hai baad paimaa_ii

[taasiir = effect; baadaanoshii = to drink wine]
[baad paimaa_ii = to take a measure of the wind]

kyuu.N na duniyaa ko ho Khushii "Ghalib"
shaah-e-dii.ndaar ne shifaa pa_ii

[shaah-e-dii.ndaar = pious/religious king; shifaa = regain health after 
an illness]


This is a 'qataah' written by Ghalib after Bahadur Shah Zafar's son 
(Dara Shikoh I think but I am not sure) recovered from what many thought 
would be a fatal illness. The recovery of the prince is equated to the 
return of spring, and nature in all its beauty seems to be celebrating 
along with the rest of the world. Note: Some say it was the emperor 
himself whose recovery prompted this qataah from Ghalib.

Ghalib is not known to be a 'nature' poet. This is one of the rare 
instances where he has used his poetic skills to descibe nature.

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We would like to recommend this site on Ghalib's letters:
http://www.niketan.com/ghalib

Ghalib was a prolific letter writer and his letters are not only models 
of good letters but are also important documents giving details of the 
prevailing lifestyles and society of those times.

The site is mostly in Urdu with some letters translated into English. 
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