Who is not aware of Mirza Assadullah Khan, popularly known as Mirza Ghalib, one of the greatest and most celebrated Urdu poets of the present age? His verses and ghazals are full of philosophy of life. He started composing poems from the age of 11. Besides a poet, Ghalib was also a gifted letter writer. He was born in Agra on 27th December, 1797 and shifted to Delhi after his marriage. His house in Chandni Chowk, old Delhi is known as the Ghalib ki Haveli. Now it has been turned into a memorial of Ghalib’s works. He died on February 15, 1896 and was buried in Hazrat Nizamuddin near the tomb of famous sufi saint, Nizamuddin Auliya. His verses and ghazals have been sung by many famous singers like Mohammad Rafi, Mehdi Hasan, Jagjit singh, Asha bhosle, Begum Akhtar, Ghulam Ali, Lata Mangeshkar, and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan.
Followings are some of Ghalib’s famous verses:
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Aah ko chahiye ek umar asar hone tak
Kaun jita ha teri zulfon ke sar hone tak
Trans: Sigh needs a life time to show its effect, Who lives so long to see you fixing your hair.
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Hazaron khwahishe aisi ke har khwahish pe dam nikle,
Bahut nikle mere arman lekin fir bhi kam nikle.
Trans: Thousands of such a desire that I would die on every desire, A lot of wishes are fulfilled but still very few are fulfilled.
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Ye na thi hamari qismat ke visale yaar hota
Agar aur jeete rahte yahi intezar hota
Trans: This was not in my fate to see my beloved, If lived longer, the same waiting continued.
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Hum ko unse wafa ki ha ummid Jo nahi jante wafa kya ha
Trans: I have hope of love from them Who do not know what love is.
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Maut ka ek din muayyan hai,
Nind kyun raat bhar nahi aati.
Trans: There is a fixed time for death, Why the sleep not come throughout the day.
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Kitna khauf hota hai sham ke andheron me,
Pooch un parindon se jin ke ghar nahi hote.
Trans: How much darkness there is in the darkness of the evening, Ask those birds who do not have home.
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Hathon ki lakeeron pe mat ja ae Ghalib,
Naseeb unke bhi hote hain jin ke haath nahi hote.
Trans: Do not go by the lines on the palm of hand Ghalib, Luck is bestowed even on those who do not have hands.
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Hum ko maalum hai Jannat ki haqueeqat lekin,
Dil ko khush rakhne ko Ghalib ye khayal achha hai.
Trans: I know the truth of the heaven but, To keep the heart happy, Ghalib, this thought is good.
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Dil-e-nadan tujhe hua kya hai,
Akhir is dard ki dwa kya hai.
Trans: The foolish heart what has happened to you? However what is the medicine of this pain?
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Dard ho dil me to dwa kijiye
Dil hi jab dard ho to kya kijiye.
Trans: If the pain is in the heart, take medicine, If the heart itself is pain, then what to do.
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Prof.(Dr.) Asghar Ali Ansari
School of Languages, literature & Society,
Jaipur National University, Jaipur, India