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
patta patta buuTa buuTa haal hamara jaane hai
jaane na jaane gul hi na jaane baaGh to saara jaane hai   Every leaf, every sapling knows my condition (of love). It is that the rose itself does not know, the whole garden knows.
2
lagne na de bas¹ ho to us ke gauhar²-e-gosh³ ko baale⁴ tak
us ko falak⁵ chashm⁶-e mah-o-Khur⁷ ki putli⁸ ka taara jaane hai   1.control, capability 2.pearl 3.ear 4.ear drops 5.sky/heaven 6.eye 7.moon and sun 8.eye
To be “the star of the eye-ball” is like being “light of the eyes”, like a beloved child. Thus, heaven considers her its beloved child to be protected. So it will not even let her ears be pierced to string through pearl drops.
3
aage us mutakabbir¹ ke ham Khuda Khuda kiya karte haiN
kab maujood Khuda ko vo maGhroor²-e Khud-ara³ jaane hai   1.arrogant 2.proud 3.self-regarding
The beloved knows that she is very beautiful and is arrogant of her beauty. The poet/lover when before her, keeps saying, “oh, my god” (out of amazement at her beauty and appreciation of the work of god). But she is so self-absorbed that she does not even know that there is a god.
4
aashiq sa to saada¹ koi aur na hoga duniya meN
ji ke ziyaN² ko ishq meN us ke apna vaara³ jaane hai   1.simpleton, fool 2.loss 3.bet, winning
There is no one in this world more foolish than a lover. He has lost/forfeited his life in love and thinks that that is his winning.
5
chaaragari¹ biimaari-e-dil ki rasm²-e shahr³-e husn nahiN
varna dilbar⁴-e naadaN⁵ bhi is dard ka chara jaane hai   1.healing 2.tradition 3.city, domain 4.beloved 5.naive, unschooled
The beloved is naïve/unschooled in the art of healing, but even she knows how to cure the pain of my love. She just doesn’t do it because such healing is not the tradition of the domain of beauty/beloved.
6
kya hi shikaar-farebi¹ par maGhroor² hai vo sayyaad³ bacha
taayer⁴ uRte hava meN saare apne asaara⁵ jaane hai     1.tricky hunting/capturing 2.proud 3.captor, jailer 4.birds 5.domain, power
The beloved is being referred to as “bacha” -child, naïve. But she is still the captor, catching lovers like a bird catcher. How proud is she of her tricky ways of ensnaring. She deems all the birds flying in the sky to be her domain.
7
mehr¹ o vafa² o lutf³ o inaayat⁴ ek se vaaqif⁵ in meN nahiN
aur to sab kuchh tanz⁶ o kinaya⁷ ramz⁸ o ishaara⁹ jaane hai     1.kindness 2.keeping promise 3.pleasure 4.favours, gifts 5.familiar 6.sarcasm 7.anger 8.hostility 9.pointers, gestures
The lover is so unfortunate that he is not even familiar with kindness, faithfulness, pleasing interaction or favours. What is more he knows well all about sarcasm, anger, hostility and (angry) gestures.
8
kya kya fitne¹ sar par us ke laata hai mashooq² apna
jis be-dil be-taab-o-tavaaN³ ko ishq ka maara jaane hai   1.mischief 2.beloved 3.without strength and fortitude
The beloved (who has many admirers/lovers) visits all sorts of mischief on those among her lovers (all) that are frail and weak of heart, as soon as she deems that he has fallen in love.
9
raKhnoN¹ se divaar-e-chaman ke muNh ko le hai chhupa yaani
in suraKhoN ke Tuk rahne ko sau ka nazaara² jaane hai   1.cracks 2.scenery, display
There are cracks in the garden wall. But as the beloved walks past such cracks she looks away, hiding her face. She does not want to be on display to the hundreds even for a short time past these holes/cracks.
10
tishna-e-KhooN¹ hai apna kitna mir bhi nadaaN² talKhi-kash³
dum-daar⁴ aab-e-teGh⁵ ko us ke aab-e-gavaara⁶ jaane hai   1.thirsty for blood 2.simpleton 3.dying of thirst 4.sharp 5.edge of the sword 6.acceptable/potable/sweet water
What a simpleton is mir, in his extreme thirst he has become thirsty for his own blood. The shimmering edge of the beloved’s sword appears like flowing water to him.