hai bas-ki har ik un ke ishāre meñ nishāñ aur
karte haiñ mohabbat to guzartā hai gumāñ aur
in every gesture of her’s, there, ulterior motive lies
when she professes love, therefore, suspicion does arise
yā-rab vo na samjhe haiñ na samjheñge mirī baat
de aur dil un ko jo na de mujh ko zabāñ aur
O Lord! She never understood nor ever will my plea
give her another heart or else the gift of speech to me
abrū se hai kyā us nigah-e-nāz ko paivand
hai tiir muqarrar magar is kī hai kamāñ aur
her glance is not connected to the arch upon her brow
an arrow it is certainly, but somewhere else the bow
tum shahr meñ ho to hameñ kyā ġham jab uTheñge
le ā.eñge bāzār se jā kar dil o jaañ aur
when your’e in town why should I fret at losing life and heart
from lovesick suitors I can buy these freely in the mart
har chand subuk-dast hue but-shikanī meñ
ham haiñ to abhī raah meñ hai sañg-e-girāñ aur
although in breaking idols I, can claim celerity
so long as “I” exists till then, stones in the path will be
hai ḳhūn-e-jigar josh meñ dil khol ke rotā
hote jo ka.ī dīda-e-ḳhūñ-nāba-fishāñ aur
blood of my liver’s patience boils, my heart would freely weep
if many more eyes could obtain, from which this blood wcould seep
martā huuñ is āvāz pe har chand sar uḌ jaa.e
jallād ko lekin vo kahe jaa.eñ ki haañ aur
I die to hear that voice, although, my head it may sever
“yes! strike again” she keeps telling, the executioner
logoñ ko hai ḳhurshīd-e-jahāñ-tāb kā dhokā
har roz dikhātā huuñ maiñ ik dāġh-e-nihāñ aur
in error, world-illuming sun men think it when they view
each day, a burning scar concealed, that I display anew
letā na agar dil tumheñ detā koī dam chain
kartā jo na martā koī din āh-o-fuġhāñ aur
had I not given you my heart, life would, in peace, have spent
had I not died, would bide my time, in weeping and lament
paate nahīñ jab raah to chaḌh jaate haiñ naale
ruktī hai mirī tab.a to hotī hai ravāñ aur
when they don’t find path to escape, rivers tend to rise
thus when my temperament’s contrained, further intensifies
haiñ aur bhī duniyā meñ suḳhan-var bahut achchhe
kahte haiñ ki ‘ġhālib’ kā hai andāz-e-bayāñ aur
while there are many poets great, for in the world to speak
but it is said that Gaalib does, possess a style unique
