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. This Ghazal and one of mohammed raf’ii sauda have the same radeef-qaafiya and may have been read in the same mushaa’era.
1
ulTi¹ ho gaiN sab tadbiireN² kuchh na dava ne kaam kiya
dekha is biimari-e dil ne aaKhir kaam-tamaam³ kiya   1.opposite 2.plans, remedies 3.finish off – an expression meaning killed
The lover made many plans, tried many remedies to cure the ailment of love. But all plans/remedies had the opposite effect. See, this ailment of love finally finished the lover off.
2
ahd¹-e javaani ro ro kaaTa piiri² meN liiN aaNkheN muuNd³
yaani raat bahut the jaage, sub’h hui aaram kiya   1.period, times, era 2.old age 3.closed, shut
Conventionally, the time of youth is associated with the day and late evening with old age and night as death. But here mir taqi mir reverses the symbolism of day and night. Commentators suggest that he uses the symbolism of grey hair as the brightness of day and dark-haired youth as night time. Thus, we spend the days of youth (nights) weeping in pain of love and in old age (day) we shut our eyes and rest i.e., we are restless and stay awake through the night (dark hair of youth) and rest at dawn (white hair of old age). Thus, during both periods we waste the opportunities that are available. mohammed raf’ii sauda …

tha ba-javaani fikr o taraddud baad-az piiri paaya chain
raat to kaaTi dukh-sukh hi meN sub’h hui aaraam kiya
3
harf¹ nahiN jaaN-baKhshi² meN us ki, Khoobi³ apni qismat ki
hum se jo pahle kah bheja so marne ka paiGhaam⁴ kiya   1.word, used in the sense of blame, doubt 2.life bestowing 3.goodness – used sarcastically to mean bad 4.message
The second misra suggests that the very first message that the beloved sent to the lover was to suggest that he kill himself. In spite of this, he does not lay blame at her doorstep. He says that there is no doubt about the life-bestowing abilities of the beloved. It only the ‘goodness’ of our fortune that the first message turned out to be a message of death. No blame on the beloved. mohammed raf’ii saua …

kaun sa mujh se husn-e-taraddud amal meN aaya tere huzoor
dil ko Ghaarat kar ke mere jaaN ko kyuN paiGhaam kiya
4
naahaq¹ hum majbooroN² par ye tohmat³ hai muKhtaari⁴ ki
chaahte haiN so aap kareN haiN, hum ko abas⁵ badnaam kiya   1.unjustifiably 2.oppressed, denied free-will 3.accusation 4.power, control, ownership 5.uselessly, for no good reason
Humans don’t really have ‘free-will’, says the poet. We have been unjustly accused of having control over our own destiny. The (divine) beloved does whatever they want to do (pre-determined fate) and have done so, for no good reason, causing disrepute to us.
5
saare rind¹ aubaash² jahaaN³ ke tujh se sujood⁴ meN rahte hain
baaNke⁵, TeRhe, tirchhe, teekhe sab ka tujh ko imaam⁶ kiya   1.wine drinkers – rebels 2.profligate, lecher, depraved 3.world 4.prostration 5.crooked 6.leader
All the crooked, profligate and depraved of this world have accepted the beloved as their imaam/leader. They perform the ritual prostration of sajda before her and follow her example. The implication is that the beloved is even more crooked than they are and thus able to set an example for them to follow. Such is the ironic compliment that mir taqi mir pays to the beloved.
6
sarzad¹ hum se be-adabi² to vahshat³ meN bhi kam hi hui
kosoN⁴ us ki oar⁵ gaye par sajda⁶ har har gaam⁷ kiya   1.committing, doing 2.disrespect 3.passionate madness 4.miles 5.towards 6.ritual prostration, devotion 7.step
Even in the madness of passion, none or very little disrespect towards the beloved, was committed by the poet/lover. Even though he went miles towards her, he performed prostrations at every step. mohammed raf’ii sauda …

adab diya hai haath se apne kabhi bhala maiKhaane ka
kaise hi hum mast chal’e par sajda har ek gaam kiya
7
kis ka kaa’ba, kaisa qibla¹, kaun haram², hai kya ahraam³
kooche⁴ ke us ke baashindoN⁵ ne sab ko yahiiN se salaam⁶ kiya   1.direction pointing to the ‘house of god’ 2.prayer niche 3.unstitched ritual cloth worn for circumambulation around the kaa’ba 4.lane 5.residents 6.salutation, greeting
The ‘residents’ of the beloved’s lane are all ardent lovers whose destination is the lane. They don’t want to go anywhere else. Thus, whose kaa’ba, what does it matter which direction towards god, what kind of a prayer niche or hajj robe, the residents of the beloved’s lane stay put and salute all these rituals from afar.
8
shaiKh jo hai masjid meN naNga raat ko tha mai-Khaane¹ meN
jubba², Khirqa³, kurta, Topi masti meN iin’aam⁴ kiya   1.tavern 2.robe 3.honourific clothing 4.gift
shaiKh in his intoxication at the tavern last night gifted away his robe and all clothing. Alternatively, he had to sell his clothes to purchase more wine. That is why he is naked in the masjid today.
9
kaash¹ ab burqa² muNh se uTha de varna³ phir kya haasil⁴ hai
aaNkh munde⁵ par un ne go⁶, diidaar⁷ ko apne aam⁸ kiya   1.I wish 2.veil 3.otherwise 4.benefit, use 5.shut, close 6.if 7.sight 8.general, public
This she’r has both mystical and mischievous interpretations. I wish the beloved would lift the veil from her face now, otherwise what is the use if she reveals herself publicly after I am dead. But in a mystical interpretation, the ‘beloved’ can also be god and we will get to ‘see’ god only after death.
10
yaaN ke saped-o-siyah¹ meN hum ko daKhl² jo hai so itna hai
raat ko ro ro sub’h kiya ya din ko juN-tuuN³ shaam kiya   1.white and black, affairs 2.discretion, power 3.struggling through, somehow
In the affairs of this world we have only this much discretion – we spend nights weeping all night long and struggle through the day somehow until night. Thus, we have little or no discretion.
11
sub’h chaman meN us ko kahiN takliif-e-hava¹ le aai thi
ruKh² se gul³ ko mol⁴ liya qaamat⁵ se sarv⁶ Ghulaam kiya   1.need for fresh air 2.face 3.rose 4.bought, brough under ownership 5.stature 6.cypress
The stature of the beloved, tall and slender, is often compared to a cypress. Thus, when the need for fresh her brought her to the garden one morning, she conquered the rose with the beauty of her face and the cypress became her slave seeing her stature.
12
saa’ad-e-siimiN¹ donoN us ke haath meN la kar chhoR diye
bhoole us ke qaul-o-qasam² par haaye Khayaal-e-Khaam³ kiya   1.silvery/fair hands/palms 2.words and promises 3.defective/immature thought
The poet/lover was able to reach out and hold the beloved’s fair hands, but had to let go because he had forgotten her (false) words and promises because of defective thinking. mirza raf’ii sauda …

mehr-o-vafa o sharm o muravvat sabhi kuchh uss meN samjhe th’e
kya kya dil det’e vaqt uss ko hum ne Khayaal-e Khaam kiya
13
kaam hue haiN saare zaa’ye¹ har saa’at² ki samaajat³ se
isteGhna⁴ ki chauguni un ne, juN-juN⁵ maiN ibraam⁶ kiya   1.wasted, destroyed 2.time, occasion 3.flattery, solicitation 4.indifference, treating as unneeded 5.with every effort 6.persisted solication
All my work of every minute of flattery was wasted. She quadrupled her indifference as I increased my effort of persistent solicitation.
14
aise aahu¹-e ram-Khurda² ki vahshat³ khoni⁴ mushkil⁵ thi
sehr⁶ kiya, e’jaaz⁷ kiya, jin logoN ne tujh ko raam⁸ kiya   1.deer 2.running in fright 3.wildness 4.lose, get rid of 5.difficult 6.magic 7.miracle 8.subdue, get to agree
The beloved is like a frightened deer in full flight. It was very difficult to get rid of her wildness/fright. Those who managed to tame her have performed a miracle, done magic. mirza raf’ii sauda …

pooj mujhe iss da’er-e kuhan meN kya pooje hai patthar ko
mujh vahshi ko suna barahman butoN ne apna raam kiya
15
mir¹ ke diin-o-mazhab² ko ab poochhte kya ho un ne to
qashqa³ khaiNcha⁴ dair⁵ meN baiTha kab ka tark⁶ islaam kiya   1.pen-name of the poet 2.faith and religion 3.hindu religious mark on the forehead, tilak 4.drawn, sketched 5.temple 6.renounced
What can you ask/say about the faith and religion of mir. He has sketched a tilak mark on his forehead, sits in the temple and long ago renounced islaam. mirza raf’ii sauda …

faKhr nahiN aye shaiKh mujhe kuchh diin meN tere aane ka
raahib ne jab muNh na lagaaya tab maiN qubool islaam kiya