Poet
Mir Taqi Mir
Pen Name(s)
Mir
Translation in Rhyme
I came as a beggar, on bended knee,
Prayed for you with heartfelt plea.
Once claimed, I can’t live without you,
Now, I fulfill the pledge I once knew.
Cure eluded my destined fate,
Medicine endlessly taken to the ultimate.
Circumstances led to this depart,
The destitute forced to leave the heart.
For what lament does the heart forsake,
All else, a sacrifice for love’s sake?
A hopeless look, you could’ve shown,
Yet, you departed, avoiding face unknown.
Desired your street, but now I bleed,
Departing, soaked in a blood-stained creed.
Your gaze, a spell that dulled my senses,
From my being, you tore down the fences.
Forehead bowed in fervent prayer,
Rights of worship fulfilled with care.
Oh idol, I worshiped you standing tall,
Till you were deified in the eyes of all.
Flowers fell as if in my wake,
Through life’s garden, I made my take.
Thankful, I missed my friends’ misery,
Showed my wounds and left in mystery.
Life spent in crafting poetic art,
Promoted the craft from the heart.
What to say if one inquires,
You came, Mir, what transpires?
If one asks Mir, what did you achieve?
A poet’s journey, in verses, I weave.
Translation in Prose
I came as a beggar, made my plea,
Rest assured, I offered a prayer.
I used to claim I won’t live without you,
I am now going to fulfill this pledge.1
Cure was just not in my destiny,
I continued taking medicine to my limits.
Such circumstances got created in the end,
That the destitute were forced to leave the heart.
What is this lament for which,
The heart foregoes all else.
At least you could have given me a hopeless look,
But you went away without even showing your face.2
I had such desire to come to your street,
Well here I depart drenched in a bloodbath.
Your gaze made me lose my senses,
You separated me from my own being.
My forehead continued in prostration,
I fulfilled my rights of prayer thus.
I worshiped you to the point that oh idol,
In the eyes of everyone you became a deity.3
The flowers of the tree fell in such a way as if,
I had come through the garden of this world and left.
I’m thankful that I did not witness the misery of my friends,
I showed my own wounds and left.
Life spent in pursuit of writing poems,
How we promoted this craft.
What shall we say Mir if one asks,
You came to this world, what did you accomplish?
Transliteration
faqīrānā ā.e sadā kar chale
myāṇ khush raho ham duā kar chale
jo tujh bin na jīne ko kehte the ham
so is ehd ko ab vafā kar chale
shifā apnī taqdīr hī meṇ na thī
ki maqdūr tak tho davā kar chale
paḍe aise asbāb pāyān-e-kār
ki nā-chār yūṇ jī jalā kar chale
vo kyā chīz hai āh jis ke liye
har ik chīz se dil uthā kar chale
koī nā-umīdāna karte nigāh
so tum ham se muṇh bhī chupā kar chale
bohut ārzū thī galī kī terī
so yāñ se lahū meṇ nahā kar chale
dikhā.ī diye yūṇ ke be-khud kiyā
hameṇ āp se bhī judā kar chale
jabīṇ sajdā karte hī karte ga.ī
haq-e-bandagī ham adā kar chale
parastish kī yāṇ tak ke ai buth tujhe
nazar meṇ sabhoṇ kī ḳhudā kar chale
jhaḍe phūl jis raṇg gulbun se yūṇ
chaman meṇ jahāṇ ke ham ā kar chale
na dekhā gham-e-dostāṇ shukr hai
hamīṇ dāgh apnā dikhā kar chale
ga.ī umr dar-band-e-fikr-e-ghazal
so is fun ko aisā baḍā kar chale
kaheṇ kyā jo pūche koī ham se Mir
jahāṇ meṇ tum ā.e the kyā kar chale