zahid sharab piine de masjid men baith kar ya vo jagah bata de jahan par khuda na ho

priest i know this is a mosque, let me drink inside or point me to a place where god does not reside

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.

'ghhalib' chhuti sharab par ab bhi kabhi kabhi piita huun roz-e-abr o shab-e-mahtab men

the couplet captures a relapse of desire: a “quit” habit is not fully gone, it merely sleeps. cloudy day and moonlit night become metaphors for two moods—gloom and romantic softness—both of which awaken the old taste for wine. beneath the wit is confession: solitude and atmosphere make the heart vulnerable.

kuchh bhi bacha na kahne ko har baat ho gai aao kahin sharab piyen raat ho gai

barish sharab-e-arsh hai ye soch kar 'adam' barish ke sab huruf ko ulta ke pi gaya

shab ko mai khuub si pi subh ko tauba kar li rind ke rind rahe haath se jannat na gai

zahid sharab piine se kafir hua main kyuun kya dedh chullu paani men iman bah gaya

the poet challenges the rigid religious ascetic (zahid) who judges faith based solely on rituals and prohibitions. zauq uses sarcasm to ask how deep spiritual belief (imaan) can be so fragile that a trivial amount of wine—metaphorically described as a mere 'handful of water'—could destroy it completely.

itni pi jaae ki mit jaae main aur tu ki tamiz yaani ye hosh ki divar gira di jaae

the formality of you and i should in wine be drowned meaning that these barriers of sobriety be downed

lutf-e-mai tujh se kya kahun zahid haae kam-bakht tu ne pi hi nahin

you've never drunk o hapless priest the joys of wine how will you see the speaker addresses a moralizing “zaahid” who condemns wine, and says its delight cannot be explained to someone who has never tried it. wine becomes a metaphor for lived joy, ecstasy, and inner freedom. the couplet carries gentle mockery: judgment without experience is portrayed as misfortune. emotionally, it blends pity with witty defiance of dry piety.

pahle sharab ziist thi ab ziist hai sharab koi pila raha hai piye ja raha huun main

tark-e-mai hi samajh ise naseh itni pi hai ki pi nahin jaati

mire ashk bhi hain is men ye sharab ubal na jaae mira jaam chhune vaale tira haath jal na jaae

my tears too this does contain,this wine may start to boil be careful for my goblet burns with rare intensity

main aadmi huun koi farishta nahin huzur main aaj apni zaat se ghabra ke pi gaya

be piye hi sharab se nafrat ye jahalat nahin to phir kya hai

without drinking, to abhor wine so what is this if not igorant stupidity

ai 'zauq' dekh dukhtar-e-raz ko na munh laga chhutti nahin hai munh se ye kafar lagi hui

the poet personifies wine as 'dukhtar-e-raz' (daughter of the grape) and warns against tasting it. by calling it 'kafir' (infidel or cruel one), he suggests that wine is an enchanting but dangerous mistress. the core theme is the difficulty of breaking an addiction; once one indulges, the habit refuses to leave.

piita huun jitni utni hi badhti hai tishnagi saaqi ne jaise pyaas mila di sharab men

shikan na daal jabin par sharab dete hue ye muskurati hui chiiz muskura ke pila

जबीं अर्थात माथा। जबीं पर शिकन डालने के कई मायने हैं। जैसे ग़ुस्सा करना, किसी से रूठ जाना आदि। शायर मदिरापान कराने वाले अर्थात अपने महबूब को सम्बोधित करते हुए कहता है कि शराब एक मुस्कुराती हुई चीज़ है और उसे किसी को देते हुए माथे पर बल डालना अच्छी बात नहीं क्योंकि अगर साक़ी माथे पर बल डालकर किसी को शराब पिलाता है तो फिर उस मदिरा का असली मज़ा जाता रहता है। इसलिए मदिरापान कराने वाले पर अनिवार्य है कि वो मदिरापान के नियमों को ध्यान में रखते हुए पीने वाले को शराब मुस्कुरा कर पिलाए। shafaq sopori

kidhar se barq chamakti hai dekhen ai vaaiz main apna jaam uthata huun tu kitab utha

where does lightening strike, priest, let us look i will raise my glass you raise your holy book

vaaiz na tum piyo na kisi ko pila sako kya baat hai tumhari sharab-e-tuhur ki

ghalib employs biting sarcasm against the religious preacher who forbids earthly wine while promising 'sharab-e-tahoor' (the pure wine of heaven). the poet argues that a reward which is purely theoretical, cannot be consumed now, and allows for no communal sharing, is essentially useless compared to the immediate joys of life.

zahid sharab piine de masjid men baith kar ya vo jagah bata de jahan par khuda na ho

priest i know this is a mosque, let me drink inside or point me to a place where god does not reside

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.

'ghhalib' chhuti sharab par ab bhi kabhi kabhi piita huun roz-e-abr o shab-e-mahtab men

the couplet captures a relapse of desire: a “quit” habit is not fully gone, it merely sleeps. cloudy day and moonlit night become metaphors for two moods—gloom and romantic softness—both of which awaken the old taste for wine. beneath the wit is confession: solitude and atmosphere make the heart vulnerable.

kuchh bhi bacha na kahne ko har baat ho gai aao kahin sharab piyen raat ho gai

barish sharab-e-arsh hai ye soch kar 'adam' barish ke sab huruf ko ulta ke pi gaya

akhir gil apni sarf-e-dar-e-mai-kada hui pahunche vahan hi khaak jahan ka khamir ho

shab ko mai khuub si pi subh ko tauba kar li rind ke rind rahe haath se jannat na gai

shab jo ham se hua muaaf karo nahin pi thi bahak gae honge

ai 'zauq' dekh dukhtar-e-raz ko na munh laga chhutti nahin hai munh se ye kafar lagi hui

the poet personifies wine as 'dukhtar-e-raz' (daughter of the grape) and warns against tasting it. by calling it 'kafir' (infidel or cruel one), he suggests that wine is an enchanting but dangerous mistress. the core theme is the difficulty of breaking an addiction; once one indulges, the habit refuses to leave.

itni pi jaae ki mit jaae main aur tu ki tamiz yaani ye hosh ki divar gira di jaae

the formality of you and i should in wine be drowned meaning that these barriers of sobriety be downed

lutf-e-mai tujh se kya kahun zahid haae kam-bakht tu ne pi hi nahin

you've never drunk o hapless priest the joys of wine how will you see the speaker addresses a moralizing “zaahid” who condemns wine, and says its delight cannot be explained to someone who has never tried it. wine becomes a metaphor for lived joy, ecstasy, and inner freedom. the couplet carries gentle mockery: judgment without experience is portrayed as misfortune. emotionally, it blends pity with witty defiance of dry piety.

piita huun jitni utni hi badhti hai tishnagi saaqi ne jaise pyaas mila di sharab men

pahle sharab ziist thi ab ziist hai sharab koi pila raha hai piye ja raha huun main

shikan na daal jabin par sharab dete hue ye muskurati hui chiiz muskura ke pila

जबीं अर्थात माथा। जबीं पर शिकन डालने के कई मायने हैं। जैसे ग़ुस्सा करना, किसी से रूठ जाना आदि। शायर मदिरापान कराने वाले अर्थात अपने महबूब को सम्बोधित करते हुए कहता है कि शराब एक मुस्कुराती हुई चीज़ है और उसे किसी को देते हुए माथे पर बल डालना अच्छी बात नहीं क्योंकि अगर साक़ी माथे पर बल डालकर किसी को शराब पिलाता है तो फिर उस मदिरा का असली मज़ा जाता रहता है। इसलिए मदिरापान कराने वाले पर अनिवार्य है कि वो मदिरापान के नियमों को ध्यान में रखते हुए पीने वाले को शराब मुस्कुरा कर पिलाए। shafaq sopori

vo mile bhi to ik jhijhak si rahi kaash thodi si ham piye hote

mire ashk bhi hain is men ye sharab ubal na jaae mira jaam chhune vaale tira haath jal na jaae

my tears too this does contain,this wine may start to boil be careful for my goblet burns with rare intensity

kidhar se barq chamakti hai dekhen ai vaaiz main apna jaam uthata huun tu kitab utha

where does lightening strike, priest, let us look i will raise my glass you raise your holy book

khushk baton men kahan hai shaikh kaif-e-zindagi vo to pi kar hi milega jo maza piine men hai

o priest where is the pleasure in this world when dry and sere tis only when one drinks will then the joy truly appear

vaaiz na tum piyo na kisi ko pila sako kya baat hai tumhari sharab-e-tuhur ki

ghalib employs biting sarcasm against the religious preacher who forbids earthly wine while promising 'sharab-e-tahoor' (the pure wine of heaven). the poet argues that a reward which is purely theoretical, cannot be consumed now, and allows for no communal sharing, is essentially useless compared to the immediate joys of life.