kisi ko ghar se nikalte hi mil gai manzil koi hamari tarah umr bhar safar men raha

ye na thi hamari qismat ki visal-e-yar hota agar aur jiite rahte yahi intizar hota

that my love be consummated, fate did not ordain living longer had i waited, would have been in vain the poet resigns himself to the fact that union with the beloved was impossible due to fate, not a lack of time. he rationalizes his sorrow or death by arguing that a longer life would have been futile. more time would not have brought success in love, but only prolonged the agony of endless waiting.

kisi ke tum ho kisi ka khuda hai duniya men mire nasib men tum bhi nahin khuda bhi nahin

tum hamare kisi tarah na hue varna duniya men kya nahin hota

your love by any means i could not gain or else in life what would not one attain the speaker laments that despite every effort, the beloved did not accept the relationship. the second line uses a rhetorical question to say that almost everything is possible in the world—yet this one wish failed. it conveys helplessness before fate and the sharp ache of unfulfilled love. the contrast between “everything” and “this one thing” intensifies the regret.

yahan kisi ko bhi kuchh hasb-e-arzu na mila kisi ko ham na mile aur ham ko tu na mila

bad-qismati ko ye bhi gavara na ho saka ham jis pe mar mite vo hamara na ho saka

ham ko na mil saka to faqat ik sukun-e-dil ai zindagi vagarna zamane men kya na tha

roz vo khvab men aate hain gale milne ko main jo sota huun to jaag uthti hai qismat meri

tuut padti thiin ghataen jin ki ankhen dekh kar vo bhari barsat men tarse hain paani ke liye

nairangi-e-siyasat-e-dauran to dekhiye manzil unhen mili jo sharik-e-safar na the

justuju karni har ik amr men nadani hai jo ki peshani pe likkhi hai vo pesh aani hai

kabhi saaya hai kabhi dhuup muqaddar mera hota rahta hai yuun hi qarz barabar mera

zor qismat pe chal nahin sakta khamushi ikhtiyar karta huun

suna hai ab bhi mire haath ki lakiron men najumiyon ko muqaddar dikhai deta hai

tadbir se qismat ki burai nahin jaati bigdi hui taqdir banai nahin jaati

dagh dehlvi presents a stark faith in destiny: human strategy and effort have limits against what is decreed. the couplet treats “bad fate” as a fixed flaw that planning cannot wash away. its emotional core is weary acceptance—recognizing that some losses and turns of life remain beyond control.

apni qismat men sabhi kuchh tha magar phuul na the tum agar phuul na hote to hamare hote

phuul khile hain gulshan gulshan lekin apna apna daman

mere havas ishq men kya kam hain muntashir majnun ka naam ho gaya qismat ki baat hai

bulbul ko baghhban se na sayyad se gila qismat men qaid likkhi thi fasl-e-bahar men

--- --- the nightingale stands for a sensitive heart that expects joy in spring, yet ends up trapped. the poet says blame is pointless—neither caretaker nor captor is the real cause if fate has already decreed suffering. the contrast of “spring” with “cage” intensifies the pain: even the time meant for freedom and song becomes confinement. emotionally, it expresses helplessness and bitter acceptance.

tujh se qismat men miri surat-e-qufl-e-abjad tha likha baat ke bante hi juda ho jaana

ghalib uses the brilliant metaphor of a 'qufl-e-abjad' (a combination lock that opens when letters form a specific word). just as the lock opens and its parts separate precisely when the correct word is formed, the poet's destiny is such that the moment his connection with the beloved succeeds ('the point is made'), immediate separation follows.

kisi ko ghar se nikalte hi mil gai manzil koi hamari tarah umr bhar safar men raha

ye na thi hamari qismat ki visal-e-yar hota agar aur jiite rahte yahi intizar hota

that my love be consummated, fate did not ordain living longer had i waited, would have been in vain the poet resigns himself to the fact that union with the beloved was impossible due to fate, not a lack of time. he rationalizes his sorrow or death by arguing that a longer life would have been futile. more time would not have brought success in love, but only prolonged the agony of endless waiting.

kisi ke tum ho kisi ka khuda hai duniya men mire nasib men tum bhi nahin khuda bhi nahin

tum hamare kisi tarah na hue varna duniya men kya nahin hota

your love by any means i could not gain or else in life what would not one attain the speaker laments that despite every effort, the beloved did not accept the relationship. the second line uses a rhetorical question to say that almost everything is possible in the world—yet this one wish failed. it conveys helplessness before fate and the sharp ache of unfulfilled love. the contrast between “everything” and “this one thing” intensifies the regret.

bulbul ko baghhban se na sayyad se gila qismat men qaid likkhi thi fasl-e-bahar men

--- --- the nightingale stands for a sensitive heart that expects joy in spring, yet ends up trapped. the poet says blame is pointless—neither caretaker nor captor is the real cause if fate has already decreed suffering. the contrast of “spring” with “cage” intensifies the pain: even the time meant for freedom and song becomes confinement. emotionally, it expresses helplessness and bitter acceptance.

yahan kisi ko bhi kuchh hasb-e-arzu na mila kisi ko ham na mile aur ham ko tu na mila

qismat to dekh tuuti hai ja kar kahan kamand kuchh duur apne haath se jab baam rah gaya

ham ko na mil saka to faqat ik sukun-e-dil ai zindagi vagarna zamane men kya na tha

kho diya tum ko to ham puchhte phirte hain yahi jis ki taqdir bigad jaae vo karta kya hai

the couplet captures the shock of separation and the speaker’s wandering, restless mind. losing the beloved feels like destiny itself has been ruined, so the grief turns into a single helpless question. “fate” here is a metaphor for life’s whole order collapsing, making action feel pointless. the emotional core is resignation mixed with aching longing.

tuut padti thiin ghataen jin ki ankhen dekh kar vo bhari barsat men tarse hain paani ke liye

koi manzil ke qarib aa ke bhatak jaata hai koi manzil pe pahunchta hai bhatak jaane se

tujh se qismat men miri surat-e-qufl-e-abjad tha likha baat ke bante hi juda ho jaana

ghalib uses the brilliant metaphor of a 'qufl-e-abjad' (a combination lock that opens when letters form a specific word). just as the lock opens and its parts separate precisely when the correct word is formed, the poet's destiny is such that the moment his connection with the beloved succeeds ('the point is made'), immediate separation follows.

kabhi saaya hai kabhi dhuup muqaddar mera hota rahta hai yuun hi qarz barabar mera

khush-nasibi men hai yahi ik aib bad-nasibon ke ghar nahin aati

suna hai ab bhi mire haath ki lakiron men najumiyon ko muqaddar dikhai deta hai

baad marne ke miri qabr pe aaya 'ghhafil' yaad aai mire iisa ko dava mere baad

apni qismat men sabhi kuchh tha magar phuul na the tum agar phuul na hote to hamare hote

khuda taufiq deta hai jinhen vo ye samajhte hain ki khud apne hi hathon se bana karti hain taqdiren

kab hansa tha jo ye kahte ho ki rona hoga ho rahega miri qismat men jo hona hoga

mere havas ishq men kya kam hain muntashir majnun ka naam ho gaya qismat ki baat hai