koi ummid bar nahin aati" by Mirza Ghalib

Kapil Jain's understanding & translation of the Poem "koi ummid bar nahin aati" by Mirza Ghalib, कोई उम्मीद बर नहीं आती, मिर्ज़ा ग़ालिब कृत
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कोई उम्मीद बर नहीं आती
कोई सूरत नज़र नहीं आती

हम वहाँ हैं जहाँ से हम को भी
कुछ हमारी ख़बर नहीं आती

जानता हूँ सवाब-ए-ताअत-ओ-ज़ोहद
पर तबीअत इधर नहीं आती

काबा किस मुँह से जाओगे 'ग़ालिब'
शर्म तुम को मगर नहीं आती

मौत का एक दिन मुअय्यन है
नींद क्यूँ रात भर नहीं आती

आगे आती थी हाल-ए-दिल पे हँसी
अब किसी बात पर नहीं आती

है कुछ ऐसी ही बात जो चुप हूँ
वर्ना क्या बात कर नहीं आती

क्यूँ न चीख़ूँ कि याद करते हैं
मेरी आवाज़ गर नहीं आती

दाग़-ए-दिल गर नज़र नहीं आता
बू भी ऐ चारागर नहीं आती

मरते हैं आरज़ू में मरने की
मौत आती है पर नहीं आती
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कोई उम्मीद बर नहीं आती
कोई सूरत नज़र नहीं आती

उम्मीद : hope
बर : बौरा जाना : पेड़ की शाख पर आने वाले फूल जो फल आने की पहल करते हैं

No hope creeped up , Nor any sign of positivity possibility insight.
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हम वहाँ हैं जहाँ से हम को भी
कुछ हमारी ख़बर नहीं आती

We have reached to a point in life, where we hardly hear any news of our own.

Real meaning :
This is a stage of dejection where a point of no return in a sense, to know what is happening to oneself becomes immaterial for oneself.
Almost all alone.
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जानता हूँ सवाब-ए-ताअत-ओ-ज़ोहद
पर तबीअत इधर नहीं आती

सवाब : blessings, reward of good deeds, right, proper
ताअत : devout, obedience
ज़ोहद : devotion
सवाब-ए-ताअत-ओ-ज़ोहद : blessings by obeisance and devout

I know the result of being in the obedience of all mighty, but my attitude is not towards this kind of ritual based devotion.

Real meaning :
This couplet is the rebel from the prevailing thinking of society,

The standard notion in all faith is that merely following the ritual is the guarantee of getting blessings from the almighty god ( rituals have priority over good deeds )

The Poet's rejection towards the fundamental idea of this exchange of good for good, bad for bad from the Almighty in return.
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काबा किस मुँह से जाओगे 'ग़ालिब'
शर्म तुम को मगर नहीं आती

काबा : Kaaba in holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arab, The holiest shrine of Islam.
'ग़ालिब' : The Poet Mirza Ghalib.

In the Islamic beliefs, praying obedience in Kaaba in Mecca city & doing Hajj (A holy set of rituals) once in a lifetime is a moral obligation on every Muslim.

The Poet Ghalib is saying to himself that you are doing everything categorized as sins in day to day life like Drinking Alcohol, Gambling, Not doing five prayers each day, Not observing one month Fasting in the holy month of Ramzan. Etc Etc.

Now you are not even repenting on your immoral activities, Than How you would visit Kaaba to discharge your moral duties as you feel sinful inside.
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मौत का एक दिन मुअय्यन है
नींद क्यूँ रात भर नहीं आती

मुअय्यन : निश्चित : fixed, appointed

A day is already fixed for death,
But what about thousands of death each night without sleep.

The torture of not having a sleep (due to various reasons) explained as each minute of torture is a moment of death. (the metaphor of death gives a feeling of torture itself that too through out night & each night )
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आगे आती थी हाल-ए-दिल पे हँसी
अब किसी बात पर नहीं आती

हाल-ए-दिल : condition of heart

Earlier used to laugh at my invariable emotions, now those feelings are also saturated to an extent that no further expression of laugh, sorrow, dejection, alienation.
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है कुछ ऐसी ही बात जो चुप हूँ
वर्ना क्या बात कर नहीं आती

There are certain points due to which I am silent ( as talking on those embarrass me ), else I can also converse freely.
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क्यूँ न चीख़ूँ कि याद करते हैं
मेरी आवाज़ गर नहीं आती

चीख़ूँ : cry, shout, howl, scream

This couplet is the highest expression of the innermost torturous complex feelings,

Why shouldn't scream & tell the whole world that I remember, I love, I am feeling lonely without ( beloved ),

But when ever want to express my self, my voice chocks ( various factors : fear, society, stigma etc.)

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दाग़-ए-दिल गर नज़र नहीं आता
बू भी ऐ चारागर नहीं आती

दाग़-ए-दिल : Spot on heart, broken hearted
बू : smell
चारागर : doctor

Oh My healer, Oh My Beloved ( Metaphor : Doctor ) if you can't spot the visible signs of my broken heart,
Try to find out other symptoms of my shaken state as, The smell of ( my burning heart ) is also missing.

Real meaning :
Oh my beloved, you are so ignorant about my fragile state as no apparent appearance showing my ill-fated shaken feelings.
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मरते हैं आरज़ू में मरने की
मौत आती है पर नहीं आती

आरज़ू : desire, wish, longing, इच्छा, ख़्वाहिश, मनोकामना, चाहत

We spent time as no point of doing in desire to be a dead or Meaningless, Death (Metaphor) comes in all other forms like ( rejection, dejection, insult, separation, without sleep night etc) but not in real form.
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(C) (P) (R)
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Kapil Jain
Kapilrishabh@gmail.com
May 6th, 2018

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#ghalibexplained