For word meanings and explanatory discussion in English click on the tabs marked “Roman” or “Notes”.
Recitation
نہ ہوا تھا ۔ مرزا غالبؔ
ا
تو دوست کسی کا بھی ستمگر نہ ہوا تھا
اوروں پہ ہے وہ ظلم کہ مجھ پر نہ ہوا تھا
۲
چھوڑا مہِ نخشب کی طرح دستِ قضا نے
خورشید ہنوز اس کے برابر نہ ہوا تھا
۳
توفیق بہ اندازۂ ہمّت ہے ازل سے
آنکھوں میں ہے وہ قطرہ جو گوہر نہ ہوا تھا
۴
جب تک کہ نہ دیکھا تھا قدِ یار کا عالم
میں معتقدِ فتنۂ محشر نہ ہوا تھا
۵
میں سادہ دل آزردگیِ یار سے خوش ہوں
یعنی سبقِ شوق مکرّر نہ ہوا تھا
۶
دریائے معاصی تنک آبی سے ہوا خشک
میرا سرِ دامن بھی ابھی تر نہ ہوا تھا
۷
جاری تھی اسدؔ داغِ جگر سے مری تحصیل
آتش کدہ جاگیرِ سمندر نہ ہوا تھا
न हुआ था – मिर्ज़ा ग़ालिब
१
तू दोस्त किसी का भी सितम्गर न हुआ था
औरों पे है वो ज़ुल्म के मुझ पर न हुआ था
२
छोड़ा मह-ए नख़्शब की तरह दस्त-ए क़ज़ा ने
ख़ुर्शीद हनूज़ उस के बराबर न हुआ था
३
तौफ़ीक़ ब अंदाज़ा-ए हिम्मत है अज़ल से
आंखौं में है वो क़त्रा जो गौहर न हुआ था
४
जब तक के न देखा था क़द-ए यार का आलम
मैं मोत’क़द-ए फ़ित्ना-ए महशर न हुआ था
५
मैं सादा-दिल आज़ुर्दगी-ए यार से ख़ुश हूँ
यानी सबक़-ए शौक़ मुकर्रर न हुआ था
६
दर्या-ए म’आसी तुनुक-आबी से हुआ ख़ुश्क
मेरा सर-ए दामन भी अभी तर न हुआ था
७
जारी थी असद दाग़-ए जिगर से मेरी तहसील
आतिश-कदा जागीर-ए समंदर न हुआ था
Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. mirza asadullah KhaaN Ghalib (1797-1869). I dare not write any introduction. On more than one occasion Ghalib has warned his readers that he needs no introduction or even address. I humbly comply. I found a beautiful tribute to Ghalib that bishweshwar parshad munavvar lakhnavi composed based on the bahr/meter of this Ghazal in 1969, just months before his own death.
1
tu dost1 kisi ka bhi sitamgar2 na hua tha
auroN3 pe hai vo zulm4 ke mujh par na hua tha 1.friend, beloved 2.cruel 3.others, rivals 4.cruelty
The cruel beloved, never befriended, reciprocated love of anyone (because she is incapable of doing so). The “aur” – others/rivals are merely lustful, not genuine lovers like the shaa’er. The shaa’er/lover believes that only he should be shown cruelty because he values it and cherishes it. But she has shown cruelty to others who don’t cherish it, so they are miserable, and she has not shown it towards the shaa’er/lover and made him suffer because of jealousy. He would much rather receive cruelty than be ignored.
2
chhoRa mah1-e naKhshab2 ki tarah dast3-e qaza4 ne
Khurshid5 hanuz6 us ke baraabar na hua tha 1.moon 2.an area in Khorasaan, iran, see notes 3.hand 4.fate, destiny 5.sun 6.still
This has reference to a legend that a conjurer who managed to collect followers into a cult made an artificial moon (by magic) and caused it to rise from the pit of naKhshab. It was not bright enough and disintegrated in two months (so goes the legend). The hand destiny released the sun, gave up on it, let it shine as best as it could, just like had happened with the moon of naKhshab, even though the sun was not yet ready, because it was still not as good/bright as the face of the beloved.
3
taufiq1 ba andaza2-e himmat hai azal3 se
aaNkhoN meN hai vo qatra jo gauhar4 nah hua tha 1.capability 2.proportionate 3.eternity, god 4.pearl
In urdu poetic tradition a raindrop that survives through a difficult journey and finally reaches the shell manages to become a pearl. See Ghalib’s she’r in https://urdushahkar.org/asar-hone-tak-rainas-ghalib/
daam-e har mauj meN hai halqah-e sad kaam-e nihaNg
dekheN kyaa guzre hai qatre pe guhar hone tak
In this she’r the ‘qatra’ has been given capability in proportion to its courage and it becomes a pearl. But far superior is the qatra that remains in the eye as a tear drop. The qatra that became a pearl was given only that much capability because it did not have the courage to become a tear drop.
4
jab tak ke na dekha tha qad1-e yaar2 ka aa’lam3
maiN mo’taqid4-e fitna5-e mahshar6 na hua tha 1.stature 2.beloved 3.condition/grandeur 4.convinced, believe in 5.affliction, calamity 6.doomsday
Until I had seen the elegance/grandeur of the beloved’s stature I was not convinced of the calamity of doomsday. But now that I have seen her it is clear that she can cause a ‘qayaamat’ i.e. her ‘qad’ causes ‘qayaamat’.
5
maiN saada-dil1 aazurdagi2-e yaar3 se Khush huN
yaa’ni sabaq4-e shauq5 mukarrar6 na hua tha 1.simple hearted. simpleton 2.vexation, annoyance 3.beloved 4.lesson 5.desire, love 6.repeated
The shaa’er/lover is a simpleton because he is happy that the beloved is annoyed with him for having expressed his love for her. He thinks her annoyance will give him a chance to plead his case with her, a chance that he might not have gotten if she had not been annoyed. He his happy that he will repeat his lesson love. But the fact that he is happy shows that he is a simpleton, because he does not realize that he will never get that chance.
6
darya-e m’aasi1 tunuk-aabi2 se hua Khushk3
mera sar-e daaman4 bhi abhi tar5 na hua tha 1.sins 2.shortage of water 3.dry 4.hem of the robe 5.wet
The desire to commit sin/indulge in forbidden pleasures is very strong. But there are not enough chances to do so. Thus the river of sin has gone dry even before even the hem of his robe got wet, when he wanted to drown in the river. Consider this she’r of Ghalib …
aata hai daaGh-e hasrat-e dil ka shumaar yaad
mujh se mere gunah ka hisaab aye Khuda na maaNg
7
jaari1 thi asad2 daaGh3-e jigar4 se meri tahsiil5
aatish-kada6 jaagir7-e samandar8 na hua tha 1.issuing forth, emanating 2.Ghalib used this as his taKhallus early in his career 3.wound 4.used here to mean heart 5.authority, jurisdiction 6.fireplace 7.dominion 8.a legendary/fictional lizard that lives in fire
Even before the ‘samandar’ was given jaagir/dominion over fire, Ghalib claims that he had claim to that domain. That is why from the wounds of his heart emanated his own authority i.e. the sighs and laments of passion (in the shape of verse). Thus Ghalib is using ‘fire’ as passion and claims domain over it since even before creation, since it was his before the ‘samandar’ go it when it was created.
mirza asadullah KhaaN Ghalib (1797-1869). I dare not write any introduction. On more than one occasion Ghalib has warned his readers that he needs no introduction or even address. I humbly comply. I found a beautiful tribute to Ghalib that bishweshwar parshad munavvar lakhnavi composed based on the bahr/meter of this Ghazal in 1969, just months before his own death.
1
tu dost1 kisi ka bhi sitamgar2 na hua tha
auroN3 pe hai vo zulm4 ke mujh par na hua tha
1.friend, beloved 2.cruel 3.others, rivals 4.cruelty
The cruel beloved, never befriended, reciprocated love of anyone (because she is incapable of doing so). The “aur” – others/rivals are merely lustful, not genuine lovers like the shaa’er. The shaa’er/lover believes that only he should be shown cruelty because he values it and cherishes it. But she has shown cruelty to others who don’t cherish it, so they are miserable, and she has not shown it towards the shaa’er/lover and made him suffer because of jealousy. He would much rather receive cruelty than be ignored.
2
chhoRa mah1-e naKhshab2 ki tarah dast3-e qaza4 ne
Khurshid5 hanuz6 us ke baraabar na hua tha
1.moon 2.an area in Khorasaan, iran, see notes 3.hand 4.fate, destiny 5.sun 6.still
This has reference to a legend that a conjurer who managed to collect followers into a cult made an artificial moon (by magic) and caused it to rise from the pit of naKhshab. It was not bright enough and disintegrated in two months (so goes the legend). The hand destiny released the sun, gave up on it, let it shine as best as it could, just like had happened with the moon of naKhshab, even though the sun was not yet ready, because it was still not as good/bright as the face of the beloved.
3
taufiq1 ba andaza2-e himmat hai azal3 se
aaNkhoN meN hai vo qatra jo gauhar4 nah hua tha
1.capability 2.proportionate 3.eternity, god 4.pearl
In urdu poetic tradition a raindrop that survives through a difficult journey and finally reaches the shell manages to become a pearl. See Ghalib’s she’r in https://urdushahkar.org/asar-hone-tak-rainas-ghalib/
daam-e har mauj meN hai halqah-e sad kaam-e nihaNg
dekheN kyaa guzre hai qatre pe guhar hone tak
In this she’r the ‘qatra’ has been given capability in proportion to its courage and it becomes a pearl. But far superior is the qatra that remains in the eye as a tear drop. The qatra that became a pearl was given only that much capability because it did not have the courage to become a tear drop.
4
jab tak ke na dekha tha qad1-e yaar2 ka aa’lam3
maiN mo’taqid4-e fitna5-e mahshar6 na hua tha
1.stature 2.beloved 3.condition/grandeur 4.convinced, believe in 5.affliction, calamity 6.doomsday
Until I had seen the elegance/grandeur of the beloved’s stature I was not convinced of the calamity of doomsday. But now that I have seen her it is clear that she can cause a ‘qayaamat’ i.e. her ‘qad’ causes ‘qayaamat’.
5
maiN saada-dil1 aazurdagi2-e yaar3 se Khush huN
yaa’ni sabaq4-e shauq5 mukarrar6 na hua tha
1.simple hearted. simpleton 2.vexation, annoyance 3.beloved 4.lesson 5.desire, love 6.repeated
The shaa’er/lover is a simpleton because he is happy that the beloved is annoyed with him for having expressed his love for her. He thinks her annoyance will give him a chance to plead his case with her, a chance that he might not have gotten if she had not been annoyed. He his happy that he will repeat his lesson love. But the fact that he is happy shows that he is a simpleton, because he does not realize that he will never get that chance.
6
darya-e m’aasi1 tunuk-aabi2 se hua Khushk3
mera sar-e daaman4 bhi abhi tar5 na hua tha
1.sins 2.shortage of water 3.dry 4.hem of the robe 5.wet
The desire to commit sin/indulge in forbidden pleasures is very strong. But there are not enough chances to do so. Thus the river of sin has gone dry even before even the hem of his robe got wet, when he wanted to drown in the river. Consider this she’r of Ghalib …
aata hai daaGh-e hasrat-e dil ka shumaar yaad
mujh se mere gunah ka hisaab aye Khuda na maaNg
7
jaari1 thi asad2 daaGh3-e jigar4 se meri tahsiil5
aatish-kada6 jaagir7-e samandar8 na hua tha
1.issuing forth, emanating 2.Ghalib used this as his taKhallus early in his career 3.wound 4.used here to mean heart 5.authority, jurisdiction 6.fireplace 7.dominion 8.a legendary/fictional lizard that lives in fire
Even before the ‘samandar’ was given jaagir/dominion over fire, Ghalib claims that he had claim to that domain. That is why from the wounds of his heart emanated his own authority i.e. the sighs and laments of passion (in the shape of verse). Thus Ghalib is using ‘fire’ as passion and claims domain over it since even before creation, since it was his before the ‘samandar’ go it when it was created.
