Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. mir taqi mir (1722-1810) pioneer of urdu language and Ghazal. Considered a poet of angst and sorrow. He speaks profound thoughts in simple language.
1
jis sar ko Ghuroor¹ aaj hai yaaN taaj-vari² ka
kal us pe yahiiN shor³ hai phir nauhagari⁴ ka   1.pride, conceit, hubris 2.wearing crown 3.loud noise, crying 4.mourning, lamentation
The head, which today is proud that it wears a crown, upon it tomorrow there will be loud mourning and lamentation i.e., you will not be not be able take your material wealth with you to the next world and/or possession of material wealth does not count for much on the day of judgement.
2
sharminda¹ tere ruKh² se hai ruKhsaar³ pari ka
chaltaa nahiN kuchh aage⁴ tere kabk-e-dari⁵ ka    1.shamed, embarrassed 2.looks, cheeks 3.cheeks, face 4.compared to 5.mountain partridge
A mountain partridge is considered to have a very graceful gait which is often compared to the gait of the beloved. Thus, the beauty of an angel/fairy is shame-faced before your face. The gait of mountain partridge cannot stand up to the grace of your gait.
3
aafaaq¹ ki manzil² se gayaa kaun salaamat³
asbaab⁴ luTa⁵ raah⁶ meN yaaN har safari⁷ ka    1.horizons 2.a stage in the journey 3.alive 4.means, possessions 5.looted 6.path 7.traveler
By ‘aafaaq ki manzil’ is meant the stage of the journey of life under the skies i.e., in this material world. Thus, who has left this material world, still alive and whole. The possessions of every traveler were looted on the way (either during their life or at the end of life – when they cannot take anything with them).
4
zindaaN¹ meN bhi shorish² na gaii apne junooN³ ki
ab saNg⁴ mudaava⁵ hai is aashufta-sari⁶ ka    1.prison 2.confusion, madness 3.passion 4.rock 5.cure 6.confused head, mad
The passionate lover has been causing disturbance on the street and has been caught and put in prison. But his mad passion has not left him even there. Now the only cure for his is rock(s) i.e., he goes about as mad passionate majnuN and people throw rocks at him. Either he dies of those injuries and is ‘cured’ or enjoys the added pain.
5
har zaKhm¹-e jigar² daavar³-e mahshar⁴ se hamaaraa
insaaf-talab⁵ hai teri bedaad-gari⁶ ka    1.wound 2.liver – the beloved’s arrows are aimed at the liver 3.lord 4.judgement day 5.justice demanding 6.cruelty
The beloved has heaped cruelty on the poet/lover all his life. He has many wounds in his liver/heart (perhaps from the sidelong glances that shoot like arrows and pierce the liver/heart). Every wound in my heart will demand justice from the lord of the day of judgement.
6
apni to jahaaN aaNkh laRi¹ phir vahiN dekho
aaiine ko lapka² hai pareshaaN-nazari³ ka   1.eyes met, saw each other 2.addiction, bad habit 3.wandering eye
The mirror has a habit of reflecting anything that looks at it. Thus, the poet/lover declares to the beloved, my sight is fixed where our eyes first met, and it carries your image and nothing else. Don’t look at the mirror with its wandering eye (because it reflects anything and everything). Look into my eyes and you will see yourself.
7
sad¹ mausam-e-gul² ham ko tah-e-baal³ hi guzre
maqdoor⁴ na dekhaa kabhu be-baal-o-pari⁵ ka     1.hundred 2.season of the rose, spring 3.under the wing, flying 4.capability, available means, fortune 5.being without wings and feathers, unable to fly or not flying
Poets often portray themselves as a bird – one who is singing sad tunes because of separation from the beloved or in a cage away from its nest. The imagery in this she’r is different. I have spent a hundred springs flying hither and thither in search of the beloved. I have never had a chance to ‘be without wings and feathers’ i.e., to sit down and rest.
8
is raNg¹ se jhamke² hai palak³ par keh kahe tu
TukRaa hai mera ashk⁴ aqiiq-e-jigari⁵ ka     1.style 2.sparkle 3.eyelashes 4.tear 5.ruby of the liver
In poetic tradition liver is where blood is made. The poet is distress cries tears of blood. They considered to be pieces of the liver. Thus, the tear drop sparkles on the eyelashes in such style that you might think that it is a piece of my ruby-like liver.
9
kal sair¹ kiya ham ne samundar ko bhi jaa kar
thaa dast-e-nigar² panja-e-mizshgaaN³ ki tari⁴ ka     1.sight-seeing 2.looking at its (empty) hand, begging 3.eyelashes 4.wetness
Poet/lovers cry in distress all the time. So much that they cause floods. Thus, when he went sightseeing to the sea, it begged him for the tears dripping from his eyelashes i.e., the water from his tears was more than that of the sea.
10
le saaNs bhi aahista¹ keh naazuk² hai bahut kaam
aafaaq³ ki is kaargah⁴-e shiishagari⁵ ka   1.gently 2.delicate 3.horizons, skies, heavens 4.workshop 5.glassblowing
The imagery is from a glassblower’s workshop. The artist pulls molten glass into a tube and blows gently into it to create delicates shapes. Thus, breathe gently for the task in the workshop of glassblower is very delicate. Except the shaa’er is talking about the glassblowing workshop of ‘aafaaq’ – the heavens. Thus, the cosmos is very delicately balanced. Intepretations run the range (a) breathe gently as you admire the workings of the cosmos (b) speak softly for the the art of reciting Ghazal is very delicate and (c) a visual interpretation in a dance performace at the Met in NY – gentle, graceful with studied, slow movements and towards the end, in the background this she’r sung, the dance advertized as ‘tread softly on earth, beware of global warming’.
11
Tuk¹ mir²-e jigar-soKhta³ ki jald⁴ Khabar⁵ le
kya yaar⁶ bharosa⁷ hai charaaGh-e-sahari⁸ ka    1.for a moment, spare a minute 2.pen-name of the poet 3.burnt heart, heart-broken 4.quickly, soon 5.enquire after, ask about 6.friend, beloved 7.dependability 8.candle at early dawn/late-night
The candle has been burning all night long and it is almost dawn … hence ‘charaaGh-e sahari’, about to burn out. This is addressed to the beloved – spare a moment and ask about the heart-broken mir. What dependability is there in a late-night candle. It can burn out any minute.