dil na-umid to nahin nakam hi to hai lambi hai ghham ki shaam magar shaam hi to hai

saari duniya ke ghham hamare hain aur sitam ye ki ham tumhare hain

qaid-e-hayat o band-e-ghham asl men donon ek hain maut se pahle aadmi ghham se najat paae kyuun

prison of life and sorrow's chains in truth are just the same then relief from pain, ere death,why should man obtain ghalib posits an existential truth that life and suffering are inseparable; to exist is to suffer. he argues that life itself is a form of imprisonment, identical to the chains of grief. consequently, seeking relief from pain while still alive is futile, as true liberation is only possible through the cessation of life, which is death.

ghham aur khushi men farq na mahsus ho jahan main dil ko us maqam pe laata chala gaya

zamane bhar ke ghham ya ik tira ghham ye ghham hoga to kitne ghham na honge

your sorrow or a world of pain if this be there none will remain

ghham-e-duniya bhi ghham-e-yar men shamil kar lo nashsha badhta hai sharaben jo sharabon men milen

let love's longing with the ache of existence compound when spirits intermingle the euphoria is profound

patthar ke jigar vaalo ghham men vo ravani hai khud raah bana lega bahta hua paani hai

ai ghham-e-zindagi na ho naraz mujh ko aadat hai muskurane ki

musibat aur lambi zindagani buzurgon ki dua ne maar daala

all these worldly troubles and longevity blessings of the elders is the death of me

main rona chahta huun khuub rona chahta huun main phir us ke baad gahri niind sona chahta huun main

ik ishq ka ghham aafat aur us pe ye dil aafat ya ghham na diya hota ya dil na diya hota

ghham hai na ab khushi hai na ummid hai na yaas sab se najat paae zamane guzar gae

sukun de na sakin rahaten zamane ki jo niind aai tire ghham ki chhanv men aai

kya kahun kis tarah se jiita huun ghham ko khata huun aansu piita huun

tujh ko pa kar bhi na kam ho saki be-tabi-e-dil itna asan tire ishq ka ghham tha hi nahin

the speaker admits that union does not cure the inner turmoil of love. “restlessness of the heart” becomes a metaphor for a desire that keeps renewing itself, even when the beloved is attained. the couplet carries a quiet disillusionment: love’s grief is not a problem with a simple solution, but a deep, enduring condition.

ilahi ek ghham-e-rozgar kya kam tha ki ishq bhej diya jan-e-mubtala ke liye

meri qismat men ghham gar itna tha dil bhi ya-rab kai diye hote

if so much pain my fate ordained i, many hearts should have obtained the poet presents a complaint to god regarding the disproportionate balance between his suffering and his capacity to endure it. he argues that a single human heart is too fragile to contain the vast grief written in his fate. the wit lies in the suggestion that if the sorrow was infinite, the tools to bear it (hearts) should have been multiplied as well.

is qadar musalsal thiin shiddaten judai ki aaj pahli baar us se main ne bevafai ki

jab tujhe yaad kar liya subh mahak mahak uthi jab tira ghham jaga liya raat machal machal gai

when your thoughts arose, fragrant was the morn when your sorrow's woke, the night was all forlorn

ghham agarche jan-gusil hai pa kahan bachen ki dil hai ghham-e-ishq gar na hota ghham-e-rozgar hota

if sorrow's fatal, then tell me, how can this heart endure? if love's sorrow would not be, life's sorrow would, for sure ghalib says sorrow is unavoidable because having a heart means being vulnerable to pain. he contrasts two kinds of grief: the exalted, consuming grief of love and the mundane anxieties of daily life. love’s pain, though severe, gives suffering a meaning, while without it one would merely be worn down by worldly troubles. the couplet turns inevitability into a choice of what kind of sorrow one would rather bear.

dil na-umid to nahin nakam hi to hai lambi hai ghham ki shaam magar shaam hi to hai

kar raha tha ghham-e-jahan ka hisab aaj tum yaad be-hisab aae

apne chehre se jo zahir hai chhupaen kaise teri marzi ke mutabiq nazar aaen kaise

how do i hide the obvious, which from my face is clear as you wish me to be seen, how do i thus appear

qaid-e-hayat o band-e-ghham asl men donon ek hain maut se pahle aadmi ghham se najat paae kyuun

prison of life and sorrow's chains in truth are just the same then relief from pain, ere death,why should man obtain ghalib posits an existential truth that life and suffering are inseparable; to exist is to suffer. he argues that life itself is a form of imprisonment, identical to the chains of grief. consequently, seeking relief from pain while still alive is futile, as true liberation is only possible through the cessation of life, which is death.

ab to khushi ka ghham hai na ghham ki khushi mujhe be-his bana chuki hai bahut zindagi mujhe

meri qismat men ghham gar itna tha dil bhi ya-rab kai diye hote

if so much pain my fate ordained i, many hearts should have obtained the poet presents a complaint to god regarding the disproportionate balance between his suffering and his capacity to endure it. he argues that a single human heart is too fragile to contain the vast grief written in his fate. the wit lies in the suggestion that if the sorrow was infinite, the tools to bear it (hearts) should have been multiplied as well.

ghham-e-duniya bhi ghham-e-yar men shamil kar lo nashsha badhta hai sharaben jo sharabon men milen

let love's longing with the ache of existence compound when spirits intermingle the euphoria is profound

ghham mujhe dete ho auron ki khushi ke vaste kyuun bure bante ho tum nahaq kisi ke vaste

you heap these sorrows onto me, why for other's sake? for someone else, needlessly this blame why do you take?

ai ghham-e-zindagi na ho naraz mujh ko aadat hai muskurane ki

tum itna jo muskura rahe ho kya ghham hai jis ko chhupa rahe ho

musibat aur lambi zindagani buzurgon ki dua ne maar daala

all these worldly troubles and longevity blessings of the elders is the death of me

ghham-e-hasti ka 'asad' kis se ho juz marg ilaaj shama har rang men jalti hai sahar hote tak

save death, asad what else release from this life of pain? a lamp must burn in every hue till dawn is there again ghalib calls the pain of being alive a sickness for which no remedy exists in life; only death ends it. the candle is a metaphor for human life: it burns through all “colors” (states—joy, sorrow, ease, hardship) without stopping. dawn stands for the inevitable end, when the burning finally ceases. the couplet holds a stark, resigned acceptance of mortality and the continuity of suffering.

un ka ghham un ka tasavvur un ki yaad kat rahi hai zindagi aram se

ik ishq ka ghham aafat aur us pe ye dil aafat ya ghham na diya hota ya dil na diya hota

ghham hai na ab khushi hai na ummid hai na yaas sab se najat paae zamane guzar gae

ye ghham nahin hai ki ham donon ek ho na sake ye ranj hai ki koi darmiyan men bhi na tha

sukun de na sakin rahaten zamane ki jo niind aai tire ghham ki chhanv men aai

kya kahun kis tarah se jiita huun ghham ko khata huun aansu piita huun

tujh ko pa kar bhi na kam ho saki be-tabi-e-dil itna asan tire ishq ka ghham tha hi nahin

the speaker admits that union does not cure the inner turmoil of love. “restlessness of the heart” becomes a metaphor for a desire that keeps renewing itself, even when the beloved is attained. the couplet carries a quiet disillusionment: love’s grief is not a problem with a simple solution, but a deep, enduring condition.

ilahi ek ghham-e-rozgar kya kam tha ki ishq bhej diya jan-e-mubtala ke liye