Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. mirza asadullah KhaaN Ghalib (1797-1869), bard par excellence, thought that his faarsi kalaam was much superior to his urdu verse. This is one of his faarsi Ghazal, rendered in urdu Ghazal format. He shreds conventional concepts of heaven and hell to pieces.
1
jannat meN jo inaam yahaaN par vahi haraam, kaisa tera hisaab¹
saaqi ek aur daur ke ye jaaN to nahiN hai, faqat² sharaab     1.used here to mean justice/judgement 2.only
The ‘saaqi’ here could be conventional or perhaps even god. Thus, that which is a reward in heaven is forbidden here, what kind of justice is this. O, saaqi, give me another round, after all this is not life, it is just wine.
2
kahte haiN joo¹-e shahd bhi haiN, aur zamarrud ke mahal haiN
laikin ye Khoob-tar² hai ke kasrat³ se milegi mai-e-naab⁴       1.river 2.best 3.abundance 4.strong/pure/good wine
They say there are rivers of honey and palaces of emarald, but what is best is that good wine will be plentiful.
3
lahraasp¹ gum hai aur hai parvez² bhi Ghaayeb
aatishkada³ veeraan⁴ hai aur maikada⁵ Kharaab     1.Lazarus 2.pre-islamic Persian king 3.zoroastrian fire temple 4.desolate 5.tavern
It seems like Ghalib is bemoaning the loss of earlier cultures with the advent of Islam. Lazarus, who Jesus is reported to have raised from the dead is forgotten. parvez is lost, the fire-temple deserted and the tavern destroyed.
4
jalva¹ Khilqat² se hashr³ tak hai musalsal⁴ harakat⁵
aaNkheN jo tarasti haiN vo jannat teri saraab⁶      1.manifestation 2.creation 3.doomsday 4.continuous 5.movement 6.mirage, illusion
It is continuous movement/change that manifests itself from the time of creation to doomsday. The conventional concept of a static heaven must be mere illusion/mirage.
5
dushvaariyaaN¹ pasand haiN haiN hum ko magar ye kya
parda idhar uTha tha udhar gir gaya hijaab²     1.difficulties, challenges 2.veil
We like challenges. We are trying to understand you, O, god. But, we raise the veil here and you hide behind another one over there.
6
masti meN raat us ne jo choome the lab-e-jaam¹
hai vo paimaana²-e mai³ aaj bhi labrez⁴-e shakar-aab⁵      1.lip/rim of the cup 2.cup/goblet 3.wine 4.brimming 5.sugar water
I am not sure if this has any hidden sufi implications. Without that, this she’r seems to be a poor fit. Last night the beloved was inebriated and kissed the rim of the cup of wine. The cup is still sweet today. I can stretch the interpretation to imagine the beloved to be god, kissing the rim of the goblet to create the universe. He created it the, it is still very sweet.
7
hum aag ka dariya haiN jahannum se DareN kyuN
baarish meN be-zarar¹ jo ho bijli miyaan²-e aab³       1.harmlessly 2.middle of 3.water
Ghalib makes fun of the conventional concept of hell. We are a river of fire. How can the fire of hell hurt us. It will be as if lightning strikes harmlessly on the surface of the ocean.
8
Khud-numaaii¹ ki na lantaraani² ki hai Khwaahish mujh ko
mohabbat ka teri faiz³ ke dil jal ke ho kabaab      1.preening, pride 2.used here to mean useless talk 3.benevolence
I do not want to make showy claims of love, preening and useless talk not for me. My love will remain strong in my heart and the benevolence of your love will burn it to cinder.
9
aaina jo dekhuN to nazar-andaaz¹ karuN maiN
bedaari-e-dil² mujh ko hai kaafi³, aaNkhoN meN rahe Khwaab⁴   1.ignore 2.wakefulness/awareness of the heart 3.enough 4.sleep
When I look at the reflections in the mirror (illusions of the material world), I ignore them. For me the spiritual vision of the inner heart is more important than what the eyes can see.
10
kya tujh se tamanna kare ab Ghalib-e bekas
mujh se jo chhupaaye tera chehra hai ye naqaab     What expectations can poor Ghalib have of ever knowing you O, god. You keep your face/image/character hidden behind a veil that I cannot see past.

Heavenly Wine – mirza asadulla KhaaN Ghalib
English Re-composition – shahed
1
Forbidden on earth, reward in heaven, strange justice thine
Another round, O saaqi, it doesn’t kill, after all just wine
2
Rivers of honey, palaces of emerald, in heaven
But I like most the promise of flowing wine
3
The miracles of Jesus, lost glory of Iran
We forget old cultures, the tavern but a pen of swine
4
Dynamism every minute, creation does manifest
Why this static heaven, nothing but an illusion divine
5
I like challenges, but there’s nothing behind this veil
We raise another curtain, but there isn’t even a sign
6
She kissed the lips of the cup in ecstasy last night
The goblet, still brimming with elixir divine
7
We are an ocean of fire, what fear we have of hell
Isn’t lightning strike harmless on the ocean of brine
8
I like not useless small talk or false praise
My heart burns with true love, I offer at your shrine
9
The mirror reflects nothing but illusions
For me, only the inner eye, to see beauty divine
10
What expectations can poor Ghalib have of your love
You hide behind a veil and me to separation confine