Na thaa kuchh to Khudaa thaa, kuchh na hotaa to Khudaa hotaa
Duboyaa mujh ko hone ne, na hotaa mai.n to kyaa hotaa
huaa jab Gam se yuu.N behis to Gam kyaa sar ke kaTane kaa
na hotaa gar judaa tan se to zaa.Nno.n par dharaa hotaa
huii muddat ke 'Ghalib' mar gayaa par yaad aataa hai
wo har ek baat pe kahanaa ke yuu.N hotaa to kyaa hotaa
English Translation
He was, when it was aught
He would still be, even if it might have been naught
Drowned I am in my ego
What would have happened if "I" was not
Laden with distraught and feeling apathetic
do I have to worry about the head being severed
If it did not severe from the body
The head would have simply reposed on the lap
It has been ages that "Ghalib" died
Yet the memories linger on
His saying this on every occasion
If it was "like this" then what it would be!
Notes
Translation by Rajender Krishan
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huii muddat ke 'Ghalib' mar gayaa par yaad aataa hai
wo har ek baat pe kahanaa ke yuu.N hotaa to kyaa hotaa
Ghalib questioned everything... the last verse further strenghtens the meaning of the last line of the first verse \na hotaa mai.n to kyaa hotaa\
as not meaning what difference it would have made the world had I not existed but meaning a question what would I have been if I had not been...
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Highly Spiritual
these two lines have been reverberating in my mind since the past few days,
When nothing was there God was there, if nothing would be there God would be there...
this goes with the Islamic philosophy that God has always existed and will always exist.... the highest name of God (ever living, self subsisting, Eternal)
the next line seems a complaint...
I have been drowned (destroyed) by being what would happen if I was not... meaning what difference would it make the world had I not existed
this is what is apparent at first glance... but then the beauty of the language and of Ghalibs poetry is such that there are hidden layers and the same can mean something much deeper more meaningful
when nothing was God was if nothing had been God would still have existed... so if nothing was then where did everything in creation come from.... from the one thing that was - God
so that is the source of all
if I am destroyed by being.... by being what I am being a man... if I had not been meaning not that if I had not been but if I had not been a man... or not been me Ghalib... what then would I be....
It is a very deep spiritual question that truly boggles the mind -
the poetry of ghalib is much powerful enough to understand and also so emotinal
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classic
He is the one who introduce philosophy n the concept of divine love in urdu poetry. It’s an all times classic. -
Beauty
"He was, when it was aught
He would still be, even if it might have been naught
Drowned I am in my ego
What would have happened if "I" was not "
He is really Ghalib___ very dominating on almost all metaphysical poets.WOOOOOO!!!!
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