ab to utni bhi mayassar nahin mai-khane men jitni ham chhod diya karte the paimane men

the tavern does not even give that much wine to me that i was wont to waste in the goblet casually

aae the hanste khelte mai-khane men 'firaq' jab pi chuke sharab to sanjida ho gae

we came to the tavern all gay and frolicsome now having drunk the wine, somber have become the couplet shows an ironic reversal: the place associated with lightness and revelry becomes a doorway to gravity. “wine” works as a metaphor for experience and truth—once tasted, it strips away easy laughter. the emotional core is sobering self-awareness: joy gives way to reflection, as if the intoxication awakens, rather than numbs, the mind.

main mai-kade ki raah se ho kar nikal gaya varna safar hayat ka kaafi tavil tha

na tum hosh men ho na ham hosh men hain chalo mai-kade men vahin baat hogi

neither are you in your senses nor am i in mine let us now go to the tavern and talk while we have wine

guzre hain mai-kade se jo tauba ke baa'd ham kuchh duur adatan bhi qadam dagmagae hain

sarak kar aa gaiin zulfen jo in makhmur ankhon tak main ye samjha ki mai-khane pe badli chhai jaati hai

mai-khane men kyuun yad-e-khuda hoti hai aksar masjid men to zikr-e-mai-o-mina nahin hota

ek aisi bhi tajalli aaj mai-khane men hai lutf piine men nahin hai balki kho jaane men hai

koi samjhae ki kya rang hai maikhane ka aankh saaqi ki uthe naam ho paimane ka

teri masjid men vaaiz khaas hain auqat rahmat ke hamare mai-kade men raat din rahmat barasti hai

ruuh kis mast ki pyasi gai mai-khane se mai udi jaati hai saaqi tire paimane se

the poet wonders how anyone could depart unsatisfied from the wine-house—suggesting an intense, almost spiritual thirst. in the second line, he flatters the saqi: the cup (and the saqi’s charm) is so powerful that wine cannot stay in it, as if it vanishes instantly. wine and tavern stand for pleasure and mystical ecstasy, while thirst points to an unending desire that no amount can fully quench.

akhir vaqt hai kis munh se jaun masjid ko tamam umr to guzri sharab-khane men

mai-kade ki taraf chala zahid subh ka bhula shaam ghar aaya

the priest now proceeds towards the tavern's door to the true path returns he who strayed before

koi din aage bhi zahid ajab zamana tha har ik mohalle ki masjid sharab-khana tha

mai-khana salamat hai to ham surkhi-e-mai se tazin-e-dar-o-bam-e-haram karte rahenge

mai-kada hai yahan sukun se baith koi aafat idhar nahin aati

jab mai-kada chhuta to phir ab kya jagah ki qaid masjid ho madrasa ho koi khanqah ho

when the tavern is no more, why bans should elsewhere be? be it mosque, madrasaa or else maybe monastery ghalib suggests that once the old attachment to the tavern (a symbol of desire, habit, or one fixed refuge) is broken, the very idea of being confined by “place” loses meaning. mosque, madrasa, and khanqah stand for formal religion, learning, and mystic practice, yet he treats them as interchangeable locations. the emotional core is a liberated, slightly ironic refusal to let sacred labels dictate where truth or solace must be found.

pyaar hi pyaar hai sab log barabar hain yahan mai-kade men koi chhota na bada jaam utha

mai-khane men mazar hamara agar bana duniya yahi kahegi ki jannat men ghar bana

masjid men bulate hain hamen zahid-e-na-fahm hota kuchh agar hosh to mai-khane na jaate

ab to utni bhi mayassar nahin mai-khane men jitni ham chhod diya karte the paimane men

the tavern does not even give that much wine to me that i was wont to waste in the goblet casually

aae the hanste khelte mai-khane men 'firaq' jab pi chuke sharab to sanjida ho gae

we came to the tavern all gay and frolicsome now having drunk the wine, somber have become the couplet shows an ironic reversal: the place associated with lightness and revelry becomes a doorway to gravity. “wine” works as a metaphor for experience and truth—once tasted, it strips away easy laughter. the emotional core is sobering self-awareness: joy gives way to reflection, as if the intoxication awakens, rather than numbs, the mind.

main mai-kade ki raah se ho kar nikal gaya varna safar hayat ka kaafi tavil tha

na tum hosh men ho na ham hosh men hain chalo mai-kade men vahin baat hogi

neither are you in your senses nor am i in mine let us now go to the tavern and talk while we have wine

guzre hain mai-kade se jo tauba ke baa'd ham kuchh duur adatan bhi qadam dagmagae hain

sarak kar aa gaiin zulfen jo in makhmur ankhon tak main ye samjha ki mai-khane pe badli chhai jaati hai

duur se aae the saaqi sun ke mai-khane ko ham bas taraste hi chale afsos paimane ko ham

mai-khane men kyuun yad-e-khuda hoti hai aksar masjid men to zikr-e-mai-o-mina nahin hota

din raat mai-kade men guzarti thi zindagi 'akhtar' vo be-khudi ke zamane kidhar gae

kabhi to dair-o-haram se tu aaega vapas main mai-kade men tira intizar kar lunga

jab mai-kada chhuta to phir ab kya jagah ki qaid masjid ho madrasa ho koi khanqah ho

when the tavern is no more, why bans should elsewhere be? be it mosque, madrasaa or else maybe monastery ghalib suggests that once the old attachment to the tavern (a symbol of desire, habit, or one fixed refuge) is broken, the very idea of being confined by “place” loses meaning. mosque, madrasa, and khanqah stand for formal religion, learning, and mystic practice, yet he treats them as interchangeable locations. the emotional core is a liberated, slightly ironic refusal to let sacred labels dictate where truth or solace must be found.

teri masjid men vaaiz khaas hain auqat rahmat ke hamare mai-kade men raat din rahmat barasti hai

pyaar hi pyaar hai sab log barabar hain yahan mai-kade men koi chhota na bada jaam utha

rind jo zarf utha len vahi saghhar ban jaae jis jagah baith ke pi len vahi mai-khana bane

masjid men bulate hain hamen zahid-e-na-fahm hota kuchh agar hosh to mai-khane na jaate

ruuh kis mast ki pyasi gai mai-khane se mai udi jaati hai saaqi tire paimane se

the poet wonders how anyone could depart unsatisfied from the wine-house—suggesting an intense, almost spiritual thirst. in the second line, he flatters the saqi: the cup (and the saqi’s charm) is so powerful that wine cannot stay in it, as if it vanishes instantly. wine and tavern stand for pleasure and mystical ecstasy, while thirst points to an unending desire that no amount can fully quench.

ye kah do hazrat-e-naseh se gar samjhane aae hain ki ham dair o haram hote hue mai-khane aae hain

tell this to the priest if he has come to preach i first went to the mosque, then did the tavern reach

mai-kade ki taraf chala zahid subh ka bhula shaam ghar aaya

the priest now proceeds towards the tavern's door to the true path returns he who strayed before

koi din aage bhi zahid ajab zamana tha har ik mohalle ki masjid sharab-khana tha

ja sake na masjid tak jama the bahut zahid mai-kade men aa baithe jab na rasta paaya