Nawab Mirza Khan Daagh was born in 1831 in Delhi. He lost his father at the tender age of six and was brought up by his step-father, Mirza Muhammed Fakhroo, who was heir to Bahadur Shah Zafar. On Fakhroo's death in 1865, Daag left Delhi for Rampur where he went into government service and lived comfortably for 24 years. There followed a period of wandering and discomfort which ended when he was invited to Hyderabad in 1891. There he won honour and prestige and lived a life of luxury.

Daag started reciting poetry at the age of ten. His forte was the ghazal. His poetry does not wallow in despair. The tone of his poems is exuberant. He was a self-acknowledged romantic but contrary to the impression one gets from his poetry, he eschewed wine. He had innumerable disciples. Usage of common words and phrases was distinctive of his style. His work comprises of four volumes consisting of 16,000 couplets.

Daag Dehlvi passed away in 1905.