by Mirza Ghalib
koi ummeed bar naheen aatee
koee soorat nazar naheen aatee
maut ka ek din mu'ayyan hai
neehd kyon raat bhar naheeh aatee?
aage aatee thee haal-e-dil pe hansee
ab kisee baat par naheen aatee
jaanta hoon sawaab-e-taa'at-o-zahad
par tabeeyat idhar naheen aatee
hai kuchch 'eisee hee baat jo chup hoon
warna kya baat kar naheen aatee?
kyon na cheekhoon ki yaad karate hain
Meri awaaz gar nahin aati.
daagh-e-dil gar nazar naheen aata
boo bhee 'ei chaaraagar ! naheen aatee
ham wahaan hain jahaan se hamko bhee
kuchch hamaaree khabar naheen aatee
marte hain aarzoo mein marne ki
maut aatee hai par naheen aatee
kaaba'a kis munh se jaaoge 'Ghalib'
sharm tumko magar naheen aatee
TRANSLATION-
No hope comes my way
No visage shows itself to me
That death will come one day is definite
Then why does sleep evade me all night?
I used to laugh at the state of my heart
Now no one thing brings a smile
Though I know the reward of religious devotion
My attention does not settle in that direction
It is for these reasons that I am quiet
If not, would I not converse with you?
Why should I not remember you?
Even if you cannot hear my lament
You don't see the anguish in my heart
O healer, the scent of my pain eludes you
I am now at that point
That even I don't know myself
I die in the hope of dying
Death arrives and then never arrives
How will you face Mecca, Ghalib
When shame doesn't come to you
Last updated January 14, 2019