jo guzari na ja saki ham se ham ne vo zindagi guzari hai

umr-e-daraz maang ke laai thi chaar din do aarzu men kat gae do intizar men

a long life, four days in all, i did negotiate two were spent in hope and two were spent in wait

sair kar duniya ki ghhafil zindagani phir kahan zindagi gar kuchh rahi to ye javani phir kahan

le de ke apne paas faqat ik nazar to hai kyuun dekhen zindagi ko kisi ki nazar se ham

zindagi zinda-dili ka hai naam murda-dil khaak jiya karte 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.

maut ka bhi ilaaj ho shayad zindagi ka koi ilaaj nahin

for death a cure there well may be but for this life no remedy the couplet turns the usual fear upside down: death seems like a problem that might be solved, yet life is the deeper, unsolvable affliction. “cure” becomes a metaphor for relief from pain, restlessness, and the burdens of existence. the emotional core is weary resignation, suggesting that living brings complexities no remedy can fully fix.

zindagi kya kisi muflis ki qaba hai jis men har ghadi dard ke paivand lage jaate hain

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

kuchh is tarah se guzari hai zindagi jaise tamam umr kisi dusre ke ghar men raha

ik muamma hai samajhne ka na samjhane ka zindagi kaahe ko hai khvab hai divane ka

kis tarah jama kijiye ab apne aap ko kaghhaz bikhar rahe hain purani kitab ke

dekha hai zindagi ko kuchh itne qarib se chehre tamam lagne lage hain ajiib se

tum mohabbat ko khel kahte ho ham ne barbad zindagi kar li

dhuup men niklo ghataon men naha kar dekho zindagi kya hai kitabon ko hata kar dekho

zindagi ek fan hai lamhon ko apne andaz se ganvane ka

zindagi hai ya koi tufan hai! ham to is jiine ke hathon mar chale

ye maana zindagi hai chaar din ki bahut hote hain yaaro chaar din bhi

the couplet admits life’s shortness, using “four days” as a metaphor for a brief lifespan. yet it shifts the perspective: even a small span can carry many experiences, pains, and joys. addressing “friends” makes it intimate, suggesting we should value time rather than dismiss it as too little.

main zindagi ka saath nibhata chala gaya har fikr ko dhuen men udata chala gaya

har nafas umr-e-guzishta ki hai mayyat 'fani' zindagi naam hai mar mar ke jiye jaane ka

jo guzari na ja saki ham se ham ne vo zindagi guzari hai

umr-e-daraz maang ke laai thi chaar din do aarzu men kat gae do intizar men

a long life, four days in all, i did negotiate two were spent in hope and two were spent in wait

sair kar duniya ki ghhafil zindagani phir kahan zindagi gar kuchh rahi to ye javani phir kahan

zindagi kis tarah basar hogi dil nahin lag raha mohabbat men

zindagi tu ne mujhe qabr se kam di hai zamin paanv phailaun to divar men sar lagta hai

zindagi zinda-dili ka hai naam murda-dil khaak jiya karte hain

zindagi kya hai anasir men zuhur-e-tartib maut kya hai inhin ajza ka pareshan hona

चकबस्त का ये शे’र बहुत मशहूर है। ग़ालिब ने क्या ख़ूब कहा था; हो गए मुज़्महिल क़ुवा ग़ालिब अब अनासिर में एतिदाल कहाँ मानव शरीर की रचना कुछ तत्वों से होती है। दार्शनिकों की दृष्टि में वो तत्व अग्नि, वायु, मिट्टी और जल हैं। इन तत्वों में जब भ्रम पैदा होता है तो मानव शरीर अपना संतुलन खो देता है। अर्थात ग़ालिब की भाषा में जब तत्वों में संतुलन नहीं रहता तो इंद्रियाँ अर्थात विभिन्न शक्तियां कमज़ोर होजाती हैं। चकबस्त इसी तथ्य की तरफ़ इशारा करते हैं कि जब तक मानव शरीर में तत्व क्रम में हैं मनुष्य जीवित रहता है। और जब ये तत्व परेशान हो जाते हैं अर्थात उनमें संतुलन और सामंजस्य नहीं रहता है तो मृत्यु होजाती है। shafaq sopori

maut ka bhi ilaaj ho shayad zindagi ka koi ilaaj nahin

for death a cure there well may be but for this life no remedy the couplet turns the usual fear upside down: death seems like a problem that might be solved, yet life is the deeper, unsolvable affliction. “cure” becomes a metaphor for relief from pain, restlessness, and the burdens of existence. the emotional core is weary resignation, suggesting that living brings complexities no remedy can fully fix.

tum mohabbat ko khel kahte ho ham ne barbad zindagi kar li

ab miri koi zindagi hi nahin ab bhi tum meri zindagi ho kya

dhuup men niklo ghataon men naha kar dekho zindagi kya hai kitabon ko hata kar dekho

zindagi ek fan hai lamhon ko apne andaz se ganvane ka

ghharaz ki kaat diye zindagi ke din ai dost vo teri yaad men hon ya tujhe bhulane men

the couplet says life has been consumed by one obsession: the beloved. even remembrance and forgetting become the same kind of captivity, because both keep the beloved at the center. time is shown as “cutting through” days—endured rather than lived. the emotional core is helplessness: every effort, even to move on, turns into another form of attachment.

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

zindagi hai ya koi tufan hai! ham to is jiine ke hathon mar chale

yuun to marne ke liye zahr sabhi piite hain zindagi tere liye zahr piya hai main ne

yahi hai zindagi kuchh khvab chand ummiden inhin khilaunon se tum bhi bahal sako to chalo

ik muamma hai samajhne ka na samjhane ka zindagi kaahe ko hai khvab hai divane ka

har nafas umr-e-guzishta ki hai mayyat 'fani' zindagi naam hai mar mar ke jiye jaane ka

is tarah zindagi ne diya hai hamara saath jaise koi nibah raha ho raqib se