Home | January '99 Index

Date: 29-Jan-99
Poet: Mirza Ghalib

Gam-e-duniyaa se gar paa_ii bhii fursat sar uThaane kii
falak kaa dekhanaa taqariib tere yaad aane kii

[falak = sky; taqariib = reason]

khulegaa kis tarah mazamuu.N mere maktuub kaa yaarab
qasam khaa_ii hai us kaafir ne kaaGaz ke jalaane kii

[mazamuu.N =  topic/subject; maktuub = letter]

lipaTanaa paraniyaa.N me.n sholaa-e-aatish kaa aasaa.N hai
vale mushkil hai hikamat dil me.n soz-e-Gam chhupaane kii

[paraniyaa.N = fine muslin/silk cloth; vale = but; hikamat = cure]

u.nhe.n ma.nzuur apane zaKhmiyo.n kaa dekh aanaa thaa
uThe the sair-e-gul ko dekhanaa shoKhii bahaane kii

hamaarii saadagii thii iltafaat-e-naaz par maranaa
teraa aanaa na thaa zaalim magar tamahiid jaane kii

[iltafaat = benevolence (iltefaat-e-naaz meaning beloved here); tamahiid = excuse]

laqad-kob-e-havaadis kaa tahammul kar nahii.n sakatii
merii taaqat ke zaami.n thii buto.n ke naaz uThaane kii

[laqadkob-e-havaadis = vagaries of misfortune; tahammul = tolerance]
[zaami.n = one who takes responsibility for]

kahuu.N kyaa Khuubi-e-auzaaG-e-ibnaa-e-zamaa.N "Ghalib"
badii kii usane jis se hamane kii thii baarahaa nekii

[Khuubi-e-auzaaG-e-ibnaa-e-zamaa.N = the goodness of founders of today's society]
(This is a sarcastic comment by Ghalib)