Paate nahi jab raah, to chad jaate hain naale
Rukti hai meri tab’aa to hoti hai ravaan or
(tab’aa – temperament, ravaan - flow)
Hain or bhi duniya me sukhanvar bahut achchhe
Kehte hain ki ‘Ghalib’ ka hai andaz-e-bayan or
Aate hain ghaib se ye mazaami khayaal me
‘Ghalib’, sarir-e-khama nava-e-sarosh hai
(ghaib – hidden power, mazaami – topics, sarir-e-khama - scratching sound made by a pen, nava-e-sarosh – sound of an angel)
Ya Rab! Vo na samjhe hain na samjhenge meri baat
De or dil unko, jo na de mujhko zaban or
Har chand subak-dast hue but-shikni me
Ham hain, to abhi raah me hain sang-e-giran or
(subak-dast - expert, but-shikni - iconoclast, sang-e-giran – heavy stones)
Hai khoon-e-jigar josh me dil khol k rota
Hote kai jo deeda-e-khoonaba-fishaan or
(Deeda - eye, khoonaba-fishaan - to sheds tears of blood)
Nikaala chahta hai kaam kya ta’aano se tu ‘Ghalib’
Tere be-meher kehne se vo tujh par meherbaan kyon ho?
(ta’aano – taunter, be-meher – unkind )
Vo apni khu na chhorenge, hum apni vaz’aa kyo badle?
Subak-sar banke kya poochhe ki ham se sar-giran kyo ho?
(khu – habit, vaz’aa – conduct, Subak-sar - light headed, sar-giran - arrogant/proud)
Kafas me mujh se rudaad-e-chaman kehte na dar hamdam
Giri hai jis pe kal bijli vo mera aashiyan kyon ho?
(Kafas – prison, rudaad-e-chaman – report of land, hamdam – friend, aashiyan - home)
Yehi hai aazmana to satana kisko kehte hain?
Adu k ho liye jab tum to mera imtehaan kyon ho?
(Adu - enemy)
Ki mere qatal k baad usne jfaa se tauba
Haaye us zood-pashema ka pashema hona
(jfaa - opression, zood – quickly, pashema - ashamed)
Haif us chaar girah kapre ki qismat ‘ Ghalib ’
Jis ki qismat me ho aashiq ka girebaan hona
(haif – Alas!, girah - one sixteenth of a yard, girebaan - collar)
‘Ghalib ’ hame na chher ki phir josh-e-ashq se
Baithe hain ham tahayya-e-toofaan kiye hue
(josh- excitement, ashq –tears, tahayya-e-toofaan – determined )
Bas ki dushvaar hai har kaam ka aasan hona
Aadmi ko bhi meyassar nahi insaan hona
Aadmi ko bhi meyassar nahi insaan hona
