It is unusual for ghazals to have a central idea, because generally the individual couplets are independent. However, this Mirza Ghalib (like a few others of his), has a central idea. The central theme of this poem is the transformative power of love and longing.
The ghazal explores the tension between the ephemeral and the eternal, the tangible and the intangible. The poet uses powerful metaphors to depict the experience of unrequited love and the profound impact it has on the individual. The journey from sigh to longing, from a drop to a pearl, from acknowledgement to becoming ash, all underscore the transformative nature of deep affection and longing. The poet also uses the symbol of "glance" to highlight the powerful impact of love on the lover, capable of both giving life and causing death. The inevitability of life's suffering and the transient nature of existence are also explored, with death positioned as the ultimate release from this cycle.
The poem beautifully weaves the themes of love, longing, transformation, and mortality into a poignant exploration of human existence.
Aah Ko Chaahiye - Ghazal by Mirza Ghalib
aah ko chaahiye ik umr asar hone tak
kaun jiitaa hai tirii zulf ke sar hone tak
daam-e har mauj mein hai halqah-e sad kaam-e nihang
dekhein kyaa guzre hai qatre pah guhar hone tak
aashiqii sabr-talab aur tamannaa betaab
dil kaa kyaa rang karuun khun-e jigar hone tak
ham ne maanaa kih tagaaful na karoge lekin
khaak ho jaaeinge ham tum ko khabar hone tak
partav-e khur se hai shabnam ko fanaa ki taaliim
main bhii huun ek inaayat kii nazar hone tak
yak nazar besh nahiin fursat-e hastii gaafil
garmii-e bazm hai ik raqs-e sharar hone tak
gam-e hastii kaa asad kis se ho juz marg ilaaj
shamma har rang mein jaltii hai sahar hone tak
Translation of Aah Ko Chahiye
A sigh might take a lifetime to reveal its effects,
Until then, who will wait to see you untangle your locks?
A hundred dragon mouths weave waves into a net from a single ocean,
Oh, what an endeavor it is for a drop, until it morphs into a pearl.
Love demands patience, but lust knows only restlessness,
Until my heart bleeds to death, what color should it bear?
I know you won't overlook me, yet,
Until you acknowledge me, I would have transformed into ash.
Each bead of dew knows it can evaporate with the sun's rays,
Similarly, I will endure, until you bestow upon me your glance.
Your glances hold the power to cease my life,
As dancing sparks end a jovial gathering, not until the final dance.
Life is an abyss of suffering, Asad, death can provide the cure,
The candle burns in varied hues, not extinguished until the morning's arrival.
Singing oneness!
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