URDU GHAZAL BY MIRZA ASADULLAH KHAN GHALIB
Translation in English by Meher Zaidi.
dil hi to hai na sang wa khisht dard se bhar na aaye kiyun
roye gai hum hazar baar, koi hame sataaye kiyun
dair nahin haram nahin, dar nahin aastaan nahin
baithain hain rehguzar pe hum, ghair hamein uthaaeye kiyun
haan woh nahi khuda parast, jaao woh bewafa sahi
jis ko ho jaan wa dil aziz uski gali mein jaye kiyun
qaid e hayat wa bande gham asal mein dono aik hain
maut se pehle aadmi gham se nijaat paye kiyun
Ghalib e khasta ke baghair kaun se kaam band hain
royee ai zaar zaar kiya, keejeye hai hai kiyun
Translation;
Alas my heart brims with tears of sadness
Tis not pebble nor a stone
Cry I will ,
Pray why doth anyone makes mine heart moan
Tis not an abode, nor a temple
Not a minstrel's hearse
I sit by the wayside
Sores of my heart ,dearly
I nurse
Alas, my beloved is a non-believer
He is not sincere
Thus To save my heart and soul
This burden I bear
O,how doth my heart's woes transgress
These boundaries of existence
Life is but a sad knot that
Only death will untie and rinse
Pray what stops the wheel of routine without Ghalib, the broken one
Wails and sobs, tears and laments,prithee,he must shun.
Anjum Zia, the Urdu poet (1935-2012) was my mother. She was contemporary of Himayat Ali Shair and was even given encouragement by Faiz. She introduced me to Urdu poetry. I met Josh Malih Abadi, John Ailiya, Himayat ali Shair, Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Ustaad Qamar Jalalwi in Mushairaas with her. Her love for both English and Urdu languages made me read Shakespeare, Goethe, Brecht, Tennyson, Byron and many American Poets.
Ghalib is the uncontested emperor of Urdu poetry. the above ghazal is one of the most cherished poems of his particular style. The universality of his poetic message is clearly depicted in this poem.
Translation in English by Meher Zaidi.
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| Anjum Zia ,the poetess par excellence. |
dil hi to hai na sang wa khisht dard se bhar na aaye kiyun
roye gai hum hazar baar, koi hame sataaye kiyun
dair nahin haram nahin, dar nahin aastaan nahin
baithain hain rehguzar pe hum, ghair hamein uthaaeye kiyun
haan woh nahi khuda parast, jaao woh bewafa sahi
jis ko ho jaan wa dil aziz uski gali mein jaye kiyun
qaid e hayat wa bande gham asal mein dono aik hain
maut se pehle aadmi gham se nijaat paye kiyun
Ghalib e khasta ke baghair kaun se kaam band hain
royee ai zaar zaar kiya, keejeye hai hai kiyun
Translation;
Alas my heart brims with tears of sadness
Tis not pebble nor a stone
Cry I will ,
Pray why doth anyone makes mine heart moan
Tis not an abode, nor a temple
Not a minstrel's hearse
I sit by the wayside
Sores of my heart ,dearly
I nurse
Alas, my beloved is a non-believer
He is not sincere
Thus To save my heart and soul
This burden I bear
O,how doth my heart's woes transgress
These boundaries of existence
Life is but a sad knot that
Only death will untie and rinse
Pray what stops the wheel of routine without Ghalib, the broken one
Wails and sobs, tears and laments,prithee,he must shun.
Anjum Zia, the Urdu poet (1935-2012) was my mother. She was contemporary of Himayat Ali Shair and was even given encouragement by Faiz. She introduced me to Urdu poetry. I met Josh Malih Abadi, John Ailiya, Himayat ali Shair, Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Ustaad Qamar Jalalwi in Mushairaas with her. Her love for both English and Urdu languages made me read Shakespeare, Goethe, Brecht, Tennyson, Byron and many American Poets.
Ghalib is the uncontested emperor of Urdu poetry. the above ghazal is one of the most cherished poems of his particular style. The universality of his poetic message is clearly depicted in this poem.
