Gems from Ghalib

A few years ago, I was introduced to the works of Mirza Ghalib... given my exceptionally poor communication skills in Hindi/Urdu, at first, it was quite a struggle to translate and comprehend most of his cuplets... however, it is a rewarding process. Some of his poems are truly beautiful, and these are some of my favorites:

1)
हजारों ख्वाहिशें ऐसी के हर ख्वाहिश पे दम निक्ले,
बहुत निक्ले मेरे अरमान लेकिन फ़िर भी कम निक्ले...

Not just the name of a movie, as I originally thought. Describes my thoughts exactly sometimes... no matter how much I get, I still desire more... and for some of these desires, and at times, so stubborn am I, it feels like I would be willing to give anything!


2)
शराब पीने दे मस्जिद मैं बैठ कर,
या फिर वह जगह दिखा जहां खुदा ना हो!

Sometimes his work is really abstract, but at other times, it is crude, and yet beautiful. I love the way Ghalib illustrates that even a drunkard knows that god is everywhere in this verse.


3)
ना था कुछ तो खुदा था, कुछ ना होता तो खुदा होता।
डूबोया मुझको होने नॆ, ना होता मैं तो कया होता ?

There are times that I seriously question what the point is of what I am doing... what is the point of my existance... Ghalib has considered the same... god was there, is there, and will continue to be there. Sometimes it seems like we are drowning in our own existance/sorrows, but really, even if we were to not exist, life would continue to go on. What is the point of leading a pained life, when really, in the grand scheme of things, us, and our problems are quite insignificant?

A sobering thought, and I hope nobody becomes suicidal after reading this verse... and hopefully, you consider that it is much better to lead a happier life then a pained one, so that such thoughts do not come to the mind. Maybe ignorance really is bliss...

4)

नींद उसकी है, दिमाग उसका है, राथ उसकी है,

जिसके बाज़ू पर तेरी ज़ुल्फें परेशान हैं ।

Originally, I wasn't terribly impressed, until someone explained a double meaning in this verse. Apparently, 'परेशान' has a double meaning in classical Urdu, which makes these lines even more meaningful... I shall leave it to you to find out what the second meaning was.

5)

मुहब्बत मैं नहीं है फ़र्क जीने और मरने मैं,

उसी को देख के जीते है, जिस काफ़िर पे दम निक्ले...

Somehow, Ghalib shows his genius by taking two contrasting elements (love, and death), and blending them together to make it seem incredibly passionate! I am not much of a romantic, but this for some reason is my favorite of the bunch.