Mirza Ghalib Quotes

Lest we forget: It is easy to be human, very hard to be humane

Yaad-e-Mazi Aazab Hai Ya Rab... Cheen Lay Mujh Say Hafiza Mera.........!!!

If there is a knower of tongues here, fetch him; There's a stranger in the city And he has many things to say.

sharab peene de masjid mein beth kar, Yaa woh jagha bata jahan Khuda nahin..

I asked my soul: What is Delhi? She replied: The world is the body and Delhi its life. Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib

This earth, burnished by hearing the name, is so certain of love,
that the sky bends unceasingly down, to greet its own light.

रोने से और इश्क़ में बेबाक हो गये, धोये गये हम ऐसे कि बस पाक हो गये. कहता है कौन नाला-ए-बुलबुल को बे-असर, परदे में गुल कि लाख जिगर चाक हो गये. करने गये थे उससे तग़ाफ़ुल का हम गिला, की एक ही निगाह कि बस ख़ाक हो गये. इस रंग से उठाई कल उसने असद की लाश, दुश्मन भी जिसको देखके ग़मनाक हो गये.

Bazeecha-e-atfal hai duniya mere aage, Hota hai shab-o-roz tamasha mere aage

Hazaron khwahishen aesi, ke har khwahish pe dam nikle Bahut nikle mere arman, lekin phir bhi kam nikle.

Whereas it is difficult for everything to work out easily, A man cannot even afford to be a human

Again, my mind drifts to your street! But I remind myself that that is where my heart was lost. . What utterly abandoned land this is! The desert makes me think about my house. .

उड़ने दे परिंदों को आज़ाद फ़िज़ा में ग़ालिब जो तेरे अपने होंगे वो लौट आएं गे किसी रोज़ !

मुहब्बत थी चमन से, लेकिन अब ये बेदिमाग़ी है के मौज-ए-बू-ए-गुल से नाक में आता है दम मेरा

He gave me heaven and earth, and assumed I'd be satisfied; Actually I was too embarrassed to argue. The spiritual seekers are tired, two or three at each stage of the path. The rest who have given up never knew your address at all. There are so many in this gathering who wish the candle well. But if the being of the candle is melting, what can the sorrow-sharers do?

The miracle of your absence is that I found myself endlessly searching for you.

sarapa arzoo hone ne banda kar diya ham ko wagarna hum khuda the gar dil be-muda'a hot

Ghar mein tha kya jo tera gham usay gharat karta? Woh jo hum rakhte the ik hasrat-e tamir, so hai." "What did we have at our home that your sorrow could wreck? All we had was a desire to create, and that is still there.

The miracle of your absence is that I found myself whilst searching for you.

কী আজীব জিন্দেগী! একটা সন্ধ্যা কাটতে চায় না, অথচ দিব্যি বছর কেটে যাচ্ছে

Ba hamdigar huay hain dil-o-deedah phir raqib,  Nazzara-e-khayaal kaa samaan kiyay huay. [The heart and the eyes are competing for the beloved. One,  with the means of sight and the other with the means of imagination].

Khush hotey hain par vasal mein yun mar nahin jaatey, Aaee shab-e hijra ki tamanna mere aagey. [Vasal: union, shab-e hijra : night of separation] The intense desire to die that I had in the night of separation has been fulfilled today by the intense bliss of union.

आशिक़ हूँ प माशूक़-फ़रेबी है मिरा काम मजनूँ को बुरा कहती है लैला मिरे आगे

Aah ko chahiye ek umr asar hone tak..

Ghalib bura na maan jo waiz bura kahe Aisa bhi koi hai sab achha kahen jise

It is difficult for every task to be easy. Similarly, it is not possible for a man to be a human being easily (and display the human qualities of kindness and love).

Qafas mein mujhse rudaad-e-chaman kahte na dar humdam, Giree hai jis pe kal bijli woh mera aashiyaan kyun ho.

अगले वक़्तों के हैं ये लोग इन्हें कुछ न कहो जो मय ओ नग़्मा को अंदोह-रुबा कहते हैं

Laag ho to us ko ham samjhein lagaao, Jab na ho kuchh bhee to dhokaa khaaein kyaa (If love/enmity would exist, then we would consider it an attachment, When neither feeling exists, then-- why would we be deceived?)

Ranj se khugar hua insaan to mit jaata hai ranj, Mushkilein mujh par padee Itni ke aasaan ho gaeen. If a human being gets accustomed to grief, then grief disappears. I suffered so many hardships, that they became easy to bear.

Kare hai baadah tere lab se kasab-e rang-e furogh, Khat-e piyaalah saraasar nigaah-e gul-chee hai. [kasab : acquire; furogh : splendour, radiance] The wine tries to take away from your lips their colour and radiance, Just as the gaze of a flower-picker tries to steal the colour and freshness of flowers. (Lips are like flowers and the line on the wineglass is like the gaze of a flower-picker)

Jalaa hai jism jahaan dil bhee jal gaya hoga, Kuredte ho jo ab raakh justujuu kyaa hai.

Phir dekhiye andaz-e-gulafshani-e-guftar rakh de koi paimana-e-sahba mere age

Rau mein hai rakhsh-e umar kahaan dekhiye thamay Na haath baag par hai, na paa hai rakaab mein

Sab raqibon se hon nakhush par zanaan-e misr se, Hai Zulaikha khush ki mahav-e maah-e kanaan ho gayeen.

Gham-e-hasti kaa 'asad' kis se ho juz marg ilaaj Shamaa har rang mein jalti hai seher hote tak.

Wo aakey khwaab mein taskine-iztiraab to de, Vale mujhe tapishe-dil majaale-khwaab to de. [Taskine-iztiraab: peace to a restless mind; tapishe-dil : heart in turmoil; majaale-khwab : strength to sleep] She comes in my dream and relieves me of my restlessness but first my agitated heart should let me sleep and dream.

Hoon giriftaar-e ulfat-e sayyaad, Varnah baaqee hai taaqat-e parvaaz [Sayyad: hunter, parvaaz: flight] [I am captured/imprisoned by the love for the hunter, Otherwise/though, I still have strength for flight.]

Dil-e naazuk pah uske raham aata hai mujhe Ghalib, Na kar sar-garm us kaafir ko ulfat aazmaane mein. (I feel pity for her delicate heart which should not get damaged as she continues to test my love with her hot-headed enthusiasm and infidel-like cruelty.)

यह न थी हमारी किस्मत, कि बिसाले यार होता, अगर और जीते रहते, यही इंतज़ार होता.

ye kahaa.n kii dostii hai ki bane hai.n dost naaseh ko.ii chaarasaaz hotaa ko.ii Gam-gusaar hotaaThey are not friends who only counsel and offer suggestions. The real friend would be the one who cures your pain or at least shares it.

kitne shiirii.n hai.n tere lab ki raqiib gaaliyaa.n khaa ke be-mazaa na hu.aa The poet/lover says that the beloved’s lips are so sweet that his rival liked even the abuses she hurled at him.

hazaaro.n KHvaahishe.n aisii ki har KHvaahish pe dam nikle bahut nikle mire armaan lekin phir bhii kam nikle

mujh ko KHvaahish hii Dhuu.nDne kii na thii mujh me.n khoyaa rahaa KHudaa meraaThe poet expresses a morbid lack of desire to seek God. Though finding Him was easy: He was inside the poet. Yet, He remained lying there in the darkness of oblivion.

rago.n me.n dau.Dte phirne ke ham nahii.n qaa.il jab aa.nkh hii se na Tapkaa to phir lahuu kyaa hai The poet/lover says that the true blood is the one that falls from the eyes like tears when he cries in love. If it only keeps running around in the veins (life continues to be normal), he will be disappointed in his blood.

likhte rahe junuu.n kii hikaayaat-e-KHuu.n-chakaa.n har-chand is me.n haath hamaare qalam hu. The poet kept on writing the blood-dripping story of passion even after his hands were cut-off.

Neend uski hai, dimagh uska hai, raatein uski hain, Teri zulfein jiske baazoo par pareshaan ho gayeen.

Ganjeena-e-manee ka tilism usko samajhey, Jo lafz ke Ghalib mere ashaar mein aaway.

Sakhun kyaa kah nahin saktey ke joyaa hon jawahir ke, Jigar kya hum hanin rakhte ke jaakey khoden maadan ko.

Aasaan kahnay kee kartay hain farmaaish, Goyam mushkil wagarna goyam mushkil.

Jo yeh kahe ki rekhtaa kyoon ki ho rashk-e-faarsee? Gufta-e-Ghaalib ek baar parh ke use sunaa ki 'yoon

Meharbaan hokey bulaalo mujhey chaaho jis waqt. Main gaya waqt nahin hoon ki phir aa bhee na sakoon.

Hain aur bhee duniyaa mein sukhanvar bahut achhe, Kahte hain ki Ghaalib kaa hai andaaz-e-bayaan aur.

Bah qadr-e shauq nahin zarf-e tangna-e ghazal Kuch aur chahiye vusat mire bayan ke liye

Na sataish ki tamanna na silay ki parwah, Gar nahin hain mere ashar mein maane na sahi

Har chand ho mushaahada-e-haq ki guftogo, Bantee nahin hai baada wo saaghar kahe baghair.

Kahaan maikhaane ka darvaazaa 'Ghalib' aur kahaan vaaiz, Par itnaa jaante hain ki vo jaataa thaa ke ham nikale

Naqsh fariyaadi hai kiski shokhi-e-tahareer ka,  Kaagazi hai pairahan har paikar-e-tasveer ka.

(However we talk about revelation of Truth or God, it cannot be described except in terms of wine and goblet)

Ishrat-e qatra hai dariya mein fanaa ho jaana, Dard ka had se guzarna hai dawa ho jaana. [Ishrat-e qatra : glory/joy of a drop; fanaa : obliteration] The joy/goal of a water drop is to ultimately mingle into the ocean. Similarly, as the lover's feelings get intense, the lover's misery ends only with extreme unendurable pain which also seems to be the ultimate pleasure/cure (medicine is metaphorically used for extreme pleasurable pain).

मुहब्बत में हमारा दिल तो पहले ही जख्मी था, तिस पर जनाब नासेह ने आकर नसीहतों की बौछार करकर के हमारा जख्म और भी ताजा कर दिया. पर कोई हमारे महबूब से पूछे कि हमारे तड़पने से उन्हें क्या मिला.

Rahe dil hee mein teer achha, jigar ke paar ho behtar, Gharaz shiste-bute-naavak phigan ki aazmaaish hai. [shiste-bute-naavak phigan : arrow-throwing ability of the beloved] If the beloved’s arrow remains in the heart, it is good; if it goes past it is even better. It is the test of the arrow-throwing ability of the beloved.

Go main raha rahine-sitmaha-e-rozgaar, Lekin tirey khayaal se ghafil nahin raha. [ rahine-sitmaha-e-rozgaar : occupied dealing with cruelties of life] Despite the fact that I remained occupied dealing with the hardships of the world, I kept thinking about you all the time.

Unke dekhe se Jo aa jaatee hai munh par raunaq, Woh samajhte hain ke beemaar ka haal achcha hai. The beloved visits her suffering lover whose face lights up on seeing her. And she wrongly thinks that the lover is well and gives him no sympathy.

Ibn-e-Mariyam hua kare koi mere dukh ki dava kare koi Ghalib says that he has heard of miracles been done by the Messiah. But he wants his pain of love to be cured by a miracle too. Some scholars see an audacity in this verse but that is Ghalib’s style of catching attention and highlighting his woes.

Jalaa hai jism jahaan dil bhii jal gayaa hoga, Kuredate ho jo ab raakh justajuu kyaa hai? [justajuu : desire] The fire (of love) has burnt the body and the heart. What are you looking for now by poking the ashes?

Aata hai dagh_e_hasrat_e_dil ka shumaar yaad, Mujh se mere gunah ka hisaab ay Khuda na maang. O Lord, please do not ask for an account of my sins as this reminds me of the scars caused by the unfulfilled desires of my heart.

aashiqii sabr-talab aur tamannaa betaab dil kaa kyaa rang karuu.n KHuun-e-jigar hote tak

Ardor complains, even in the heart, about the narrowness of space. In a pearl was absorbed the restlessness of the sea.

jii Dhuu.nDtaa hai phir vahii fursat ki raat din baiThe rahe.n tasavvur-e-jaanaa.n kiye hu.e The heart continually looks for some relaxation from the tiring day-to-day affairs of life. It craves to go back to the good old days when the poet/lover could sit back idly and daydream about the beloved.

Ardor complains, even in the heart, about the narrowness of space. In a pearl was absorbed the restlessness of the sea.

karne ga.e the us se taGaaful kaa ham gila kii ek hii nigaah ki bas KHaak ho ga.e The poet/lover had decided to stand up to the beloved and finally gathered courage to complain the negligent attitude of the beloved. Before he could speak anything, she looked at him only once, and it ended everything.

ham hai.n mushtaaq aur vo be-zaar yaa ilaahii ye maajraa kyaa hai (She cringes with apathy when I crave for her O’ dear Lord! will you care to explain what this is all about?)

ishq mujh ko nahii.n vahshat hii sahii merii vahshat tirii shohrat hii sahii (The beloved defames the lover’s/poet’s passion by calling it mad and un-social. He still takes pride in the fact that it is his passion that is getting her a worldwide attention. He also seems to relax at the fact that finally some pact is arrived at between the participants (world, beloved and the lover himself). So what if he ends up badly!)

hai.n aur bhii duniyaa me.n suKHan-var bahut achchhe kahte hai.n ki 'Gaalib' kaa hai andaaz-e-bayaa.n aur There may be many other good poets in the world but everybody says that Ghalib’s style of expression is unique amongst all.

rahiye ab aisii jagah chal kar jahaa.n ko.ii na ho ham-suKHan ko.ii na ho aur ham-zabaa.n ko.ii na hoThe poet/lover is fed up with the people who can’t understand what he is trying to say, even those who speak the same language as he does. He is so disappointed and frustrated that he wants to go to some isolated place where there is nobody to talk to.

buu-e-gul naala-e-dil duud-e-charaaG-e-mahfil jo tirii bazm se niklaa so pareshaa.n niklaaThe fragrance of the rose, the crying notes of the heart, the smoke of the earthen lamp: everything and everybody who left from your (beloved’s) party got scattered everywhere. Even the poet/lover himself got no special treatment!

Ab thak gya hua maa mein kahi Chupaale daaman mein mujhe kahi