Mirza Ghalib
fariyad ki koi lai nahin hai
naala paband-e-nai nahin hai
no tune is needed by a sigh
laments do not on flutes rely
kyuun bote hain baghban tonbe
gar baagh gada-e-mai nahin hai
why gourds do gardeners now plant
if wine, the garden does not want
har-chand har ek shai men tu hai
par tujh si koi shai nahin hai
although in everything you be
yet there is none who is like thee
haan khaiyo mat fareb-e-hasti
har-chand kahen ki hai nahin hai
by “being” be you not deceived
“is not” however is believed
shadi se guzar ki gham na hove
urdi jo na ho to dai nahin hai
if joy’s eschewed, no grief at all
if spring’s not there, nor will be fall
kyuun radd-e-qadah kare hai zahid
mai hai ye magas ki qai nahin hai
why Priest, does bowl of wine displease
’tis wine, not excrement of bees
hasti hai na kuchh adam hai ‘ghalib’
akhir tu kya hai ai nahin hai
if being and nothingness are naught
what is? then tell me o “is not”
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