Diwan e Ghalib / دیوان غالب

by Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib

The best of Mirza Ghalib, one of the greatest Urdu poets, is presented in this compendium. Each of the 104 ghazals, 7 miscellaneous nazms, and 68 selected letters are presented in the original Urdu text, with a parallel translation in simple, lucid English, and a transliteration in Roman script for readers who are not familiar with Urdu in Persian script. A critical introduction to Ghalib's work, chronology of important events in his life, and bibliography are also provided.

Genres: Poetry, Classics, Literature, India, Philosophy, Indian Literature, Asia

283 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Mirza Ghalib (Urdu: مرزا غالب) born Mirza Asadullah Beg Khan (Urdu/Persian: مرزا اسد اللہ بیگ خان) was a classical Urdu and Persian poet from India during British colonial rule. He used as his pen-name Ghalib (Urdu/Persian: غالب, ġhālib means dominant) and Asad (Urdu/Persian: اسد, Asad means lion. His honour title was Dabir-ul-Mulk, Najm-ud-Daula.

During his lifetime the Mughals were eclipsed and finally deposed by the British following the defeat of the Indian Revolt of 1857, events that he wrote of. Most notably, he wrote several ghazals during his life, which have since been interpreted and sung in many different ways by different people. In South Asia, he is considered to be one of the most popular and influential poets of the Urdu language. Ghalib today remains popular not only in India and Pakistan but also amongst diaspora communities around the world.

Mirza Ghalib is also known as the last great poet of the Mughal Era.

Reviews

[Lit Bug (Foram) · Rating 5 out of 5]

ENGLISH TITLE: DIVAN-E-GHALIB (The World of Ghalib)

One of my favorite poets ever, and a treasured Urdu collection since long. Ghalib's sensual poetry made sharper by wit and peppered by sarcasm make it a memorable, cherished read. Devoid of melodrama, he is still capable of making the reader pine - and ah, so flawless his execution, so heart-rending his poetry!

Ghalib's own words sum up better his place in history than any reviewer can ever hope to -

हैं और भी दुनिया में सुख़नवर बोहोत अच्छे
कहते हैं के ग़ालिब का है अंदाज़-ए-बयाँ और

Club reading his poetry with Gulzar's beautiful teleseries on Ghalib's life, Naseeruddin Shah capturing Ghalib amazingly well in the role - and Jagjit Singh's mellifluous voice rendering the heart-rending lines of my favorite Ghalib-ghazal ever -

Aah ko chahiye ek umr asar hone tak,
kaun jeeta hai teri zulf ke sar hone tak..."

I simply love this rendition - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgTYm...

Why the hell don't people write so well, compose so well, and sing so well now?

A plus point of this collection is that it has a poem-by-poem glossary of the Farsi words used, now unintelligible to most of us.

This collection is a sheer delight. A must-read for anyone who loves good poetry.

[Rural Soul · Rating 5 out of 5]

ایک شاعر کا بیٹا اور ایک نیم شاعرہ کا چھوٹا بھائی ہونے کے باعث مجھے اپنی اردو دانی پر کچھ زیادہ ہی ناز تھا. مگر کیا کیجیے کہ آج معلوم ہوا کہ اچھی اردو کیا ہے اور گہرا خیال کس بلا کا نام ہے. شعروترنم کی عمق چاہے کتاب لے کر پڑھی نہ ہو مگر ان سے کبھی نابلد نہ رہا. آج غالب کی شاعری پڑھ کر معلوم ہوا کہ اقبال کیوں ان کا دیوان اپنے سرہانے رکھتے تھے. بظاہر استفسار و لغت نوردی سے تمام اشعار کا مخ مل تو جاتا ہے مگر آج سے عہد کررہا ہوں کہ بقیہ محدود پسندیدہ کتب کی طرح دیوانِ غالب آخری سانس تک پڑھتا رہوں گا۔

جز قیس اور کوئی نہ آیا بہ روئے کار
صحرا مگر بہ تنگی چشمِ حسود تھا

ہنوز اک پرتوِ نقشِ خیالِ یار باقی ہے
دلِ افسردہ گویا حجرہ ہے یوسف کے زنداں کا
بغل میں غیر کی آج آپ سوئے ہیں کہیں ورنہ
سبب کیا خواب میں آکر تبسم ہائے پنہاں کا

حیف اُس چارہ گر کپڑے کی قسمت غالب
جس کی قسمت میں ہو عاشق کا گریباں ہونا

غم اگرچہ جاں گُسل ہے، پہ کہاں بچیں کہ دل ہے
غمِ عشق گر نہ ہوتا، غمِ روزگار ہوتا

گو میں رہا رہینِ ستم ہائے روزگار
لیکن ترے خیال سے غافل نہیں رہا

عشرتِ قطرہ ہے دریا میں فنا ہوجانا
درد کا حد سے گزرنا ہے دوا ہوجانا

زبان اہلِ زباں میں ہے مرگ خاموشی
یہ بات بزم میں روشن ہوئی زبانی شمع

[Omama. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even before Iqbal, I had come across Ghalib, and had developed an instant fondness for his poetry in my childhood years. Though the poetry is extremely complex, it's laden with expressions, life, feelings, experiences; especially his helplessness and poverty, the fall of Mughal dynasty, sorrows, grieves and agonies; is timeless. I had to go to my father or my teachers, to understand or to just pronounce the words. Nevertheless, I had this strange attachment with Ghalib's words; I had memorized some of his Ghazals by heart, because they were just so lyrical. There's something about this man that makes you love him. I took out Deewan-e-Ghalib after so many years, and came with it many memories. With that, I had to put here my most favorite Ghazal of all times:

آہ کو چاہیے اک عمر اثر ہوتے تک
کون جیتا ہے تری زلف کے سر ہوتے تک

دام ہر موج میں ہے حلقۂ صد کام نہنگ
دیکھیں کیا گزرے ہے قطرے پہ گہر ہوتے تک

عاشقی صبر طلب اور تمنا بیتاب
دل کا کیا رنگ کروں خون جگر ہوتے تک

ہم نے مانا کہ تغافل نہ کرو گے لیکن
خاک ہو جائیں گے ہم تم کو خبر ہوتے تک

پرتو خور سے ہے شبنم کو فنا کی تعلیم
میں بھی ہوں ایک عنایت کی نظر ہوتے تک

یک نظر بیش نہیں فرصت ہستی غافل
گرمیٔ بزم ہے اک رقص شرر ہوتے تک

غم ہستی کا اسدؔ کس سے ہو جز مرگ علاج
شمع ہر رنگ میں جلتی ہے سحر ہوتے تک

[Jibran · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been reading Mirza Ghalib since teenage years. Every emotion that symbolises the human struggle at its most refined level is to be found in Ghalib's poetry. Reading him requires a certain mastery of the Urdu of the 19th century, for Ghalib's style is characterised by an early difficult phase, tough to decipher on the level of language as well as thought. Those early ghazals were written in a deliberate Persianised Urdu through which Ghalib wanted to make a statement about his complete command of the parent language. His later ghazals are remarkably simple and precise (ishq mujh ko nahi wehshat hi sahi). But eventually he settles for a style of medium difficulty and these are the ghazals which enjoy the most popularity (Hazaron khwahashen aisi ke hur khwahish pe dam nikle, yeh na thi hamari qismat ke visal-e-yaar hota etc). For me his Divan is like a Quran. I keep a copy of it wherever I go to live. I am sure I will never in life cease to read him.

[Huma · Rating 5 out of 5]

I own a pocket edition of this collection, but now that I think about it I have only seen pocket editions of Dewaan-e-Ghalib. Is it only published in pocket size?

I have not really read the whole Dewaan, but I loved whatever I read. Of course, I was already familiar with many of the ghazals since my school days. The great thing about Ghalib's verses is that his ghazals feel very contemporary. Even though he wrote in the 19th century, his thoughts are usually much easy to comprehend than some of the other popular Urdu poets. It is just that it's meaning is very obvious even to a layman. Mind you, that does not mean that his poetry is simple! After all, he was a poet in King Bahadur Shah Zafar's court and you can imagine that the court would have some of the best poets of South Asia on royal stipend. He can convey a lot in merely two lines of poetry. Perhaps that is the very charm of Ghalib and the reason of his popularity; his poetry appeals to both the masses and the literary. In the poet's own words:

ہیں اور بھی دنیا میں سخنور بهت اچھے
کہتے ہیں کے غالب کا ہے انداز بیان اور

which roughly translates to (please forgive me for attempting to translate Ghalib in a plain prosaic manner):

There are many other very good poets in the world
It is said that Ghalib's style of expression is something else

[Metin Dirim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Benden geçti aşk kumarhanesi,
Oraya gitmeye kuşakta mal nerede?

Mirza Esedullah Han Galib - Galib Dîvânı

[Maheep · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ghalib, has always been a treat. His hard life, in having children. The Romanticism with Love and with wine. Urdu, is not a language in itself, it is the an ode to romanticize the thoughts with words.

[Sanjukta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Its Ghalib, what more can one say or needs to say, except in his words:

'Har ek baat pe kehte ho tum ki tu kya hain
Tumheen kaho ki yeh andaz-e-goft-o-goo kya hain
Ragon mein daudtein phirnein ke hum nahin kayal
Jab aankh hi se na tapka to lahoo kya hain'

[Rafsun · Rating 5 out of 5]

They say only the extraordinary can express the colorful and the pallid side of the world with equal beauty. But what if someone pushes through the pain and come through the other side alive and with a angel on their side? Ghalib not only achieved this feat, he brought the pain along with him to his readers. His works tells the tale of a thousand man experiencing thousand emotions and thousand life. If the war made Miyazaki the god of animation, what title would you give to someone who brings the pain and destruction of the war along with the bliss a soldier feels when his loved ones fragrant letter is handed to him. And I am not exaggerating when I say this, you most surely will feel the soft napkin-like letter and the fragrance will surround you, if you let it.

[Waqas Manzoor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I personally feel poetry is not something that can be finished in one reading, specially when the poet is Ghalib. It took almost a year to finish this Dewaan and I still feel that I will keep revisiting it time to time. It has been a beautiful year while reading a couple of couplets before going to sleep.

[Rizwan Ahmed Khan Zcharf · Rating 5 out of 5]

No Urdu poetry book could be compared with Dewan-e-Ghalib as Ghalib is the father of Urdu Poetry. The "Khayal", imagination on its peak. The selection of words and phrases with the mixture of Urdu grammar is marvelous. I red it almost 15 times in last 20 years and still reading it again and again ....

[Asif · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite simply the greatest work of Urdu literature bar none. Amongst the world's great literary masterpieces--on a par with Shakespeare,Hafiz,Goethe,Pushkin.

The problem for non Urdu speakers is that Ghalib is almost impossible to translate witjout losing so much in the process.

[Shani · Rating 5 out of 5]

bas-ki dushvar hai har kaam ka asan hona
aadmī ko bhī muyassar nahīn insan hona

There’s Iqbal, Faiz Ahmad Faiz, and then there is Ghalib; his was a range and depth of feeling like no other Urdu poet had.

[harshv · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this years ago and have since been in complete awe of Ghalib. Picked it up again while browsing my bookshelf a few days back, re-read some sections and was reminded once again just how beautifully this man wrote!

No one else, in my experience, has matched Ghalib's ability to put on paper emotions and feelings in such a heart-wrenchingly beautiful manner. Those who can read Urdu script should, if they haven't already read Ghalib, make their way to him quickly and read slowly, savouring the genius behind the words. Understanding spoken Urdu is the next best thing (this is the category I fall into) and if you don't, it is worth learning the language just to have Ghalib speak to you in his own words!

Ghalib on himself (in Devnagri script below) is perhaps the best way to sum up this extraordinary poet:
हैं और भी दुनिया में सुख़नवर बोहोत अच्छे
कहते हैं के ग़ालिब का है अंदाज़-ए-बयाँ और

[Kamran Khan · Rating 4 out of 5]

* IMPORTANT *
The version of book I have read is composed by Hanif Ramey (artist and politician) So my comments are in fact for that particular version (although its pretty much the same)

My Review:
I was 15 when I read this book first time. Nearly 2 centuries gone to his words but the taste is the same.

It is a book from heaven for those who love Urdu poetry. If you don't know Urdu really then English/roman/Hindi versions are available but I am sure only URDU language can give you the genuine taste of Ghalib's poetry.

I always treasure this book to my home library and strongly recommend it. Although most of his poetry surrounds beauty of women.


Profound,
Kamran Khan

[Sayam Asjad · Rating 5 out of 5]

غالب غالب اور غالب ❤

[W]

Again,a difficult poet.

[Shintsie]

All about life...with realism...pathos and deep sense of listlessness.

[Maryam · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a classic work and Ghalib has rightly stood the test of time. Because most of the couplets are still relevant and find some sort of coherence in this fast-changing world.
I read it a long time ago, maybe when I was in 9th or 10th grade. My brother had bought it from Urdu Bazar Lahore. At that time we were very fond of Urdu poetry. (Hahaha) My brother used "Aashiq" as his Ta'khal'us.
At that time I did not fully understand poetry but now I am sure I can fully understand, after being deceived by someone whom I LOVED the most.
There is a saying that goes, "The saddest thing about betrayal is that it never comes from your enemies". It always hurts the most when it comes from a person you LOVED.
Betrayal taught me not to be so open and so giving to people who don't deserve it.
One of my favorite couplet is:
یہ نہ تھی ہماری قسمت کہ وصال یار ہوتا
اگر جیتے رہتے یہی انتظار ہوتا

[Karanlık kadın · Rating 5 out of 5]

Şiirlerin teması; aşk,aşkta rakiple çekişme,sevgilinin hal ve tavırları, zaman,felek,siyaset ve din.
Beğendiğim şiirlerde oldu. Beğendiğim şiirlerin altlarını çizdim. Beğenmediğim sıkıldığım şiirlerde oldu. 'Çarşamba kutlaması' şiiri okunmaya değer... Peygamber efendimiz hicretin 11. Yılı sefer ayının son çarşambasında hastalanmış. Müslümanlar o günü dua,sadaka ve hayrat günü olarak her yıl hatırlamaktadırlar. Hint Türk sultanlığında o günün anısına Kale'de altın,gümüş dolu keseler dağıtılırdı. Çevirmen şiirin altına eklemiş.
Hz.Ali hakkında yazdığı kaside çok güzel... Urdu dilinin efsane şairi mirza esedullah han galib'i günümüz türkçesine çevirdiği için çevirmenine teşekkür ederim.

[Dr Nouman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The only Dewan of the great legendary poet Mirza Ghalib. He is the alpha and omega of Urdu Ghazal. A courtier of the then Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar. It’s a brief book but includes best of his ghazals. An inspiration for each and every irdu poet that followed him. His writing style one of a kind.
I always kept it besides my bed in student life.
I have read it a million times but every time I open it, I find something new.
It’s classical Urdu poetry with very modern topics
Salute to Mirza Ghalib

[Abdullah Rao]

I have been reading Mirza Ghalib since teenage years. Every emotion that symbolises the human struggle at its most refined level is to be found in Ghalib's poetry. Reading him requires a certain mastery of the Urdu of the 19th century, for Ghalib's style is characterised by an early difficult phase, tough to decipher on the level of language as well as thought. Those early ghazals were written in a deliberate Persianised Urdu through which Ghalib wanted to make a statement about his complete

[Saher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deewan e Ghalib is a collection of Urdu poems written by classic Urdu poet aka Mirza Ghalib. In this collection, Ghalib talks about the existential pain, the absurdity of life and about the atrocities he faced. Ghalib is expert with words and I recommend new urdu readers to read this book with شرح دیوانِ غالب which is a guide to Ghalib's poetry and provides in depth detail about the historial and metaphorical references used in Deewan e Ghalib.

[Urvashi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Between ghalib and rumi, I feel like the way I think and feel is the most mirrored in writing
It makes my soul feel rich, melancholy and like I am consuming the best humanity has to offer

It’s really hard to find Hindi/ Urdu translations but penned in the English alphabet! Forever searching for adequate versions of these

[Anas Tariq · Rating 5 out of 5]

مجھے دیوان گالب کی کتاب بہت اچھی لگی.میرے خیال سے اس کتاب میں مرزا گالب نے ہماری زندگی سے مطابق کافی اشعار لکھے ہیں.میرا سب سے پسندیدہ اشعار:

نہ تھا کچھ تو خدا تھا کچھ نہ ہوتا تو خدا ہوتا

ڈبویا مجھ کو ہونے نے نہ ہوتا میں تو کیا ہوتا

[Grv · Rating 5 out of 5]

Non spoiler review

Good things
1) Difficult to read if you have never read a hindi/Urdu poetry book.
2) Takes time to fully know the true meaning of his shers.

Not so good things.
1) Small in size.
2) Takes time to fully understand the true meaning of his shers

Final verdict- Go for it

[Anam]

Mirza Ghalib... the name is enough to give you a wave of emotions as his poetry instills in people. The unbeatable and undeniable aura his writing holds can make anyone like Urdu poetry. Have been reading him since school days as part of the curriculum but now has become a habit.

[Ali Humza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wal

[Huma IZ · Rating 5 out of 5]

His poetry is beyond words. Remember most if it by hear now.

[Munaza Kazmi · Rating 5 out of 5]

No one can be another Galib, the one that never fades with time.