ROZ EK SHER: Mir Taqi Mir

[Manish Modi]

उलटी हो गयीं सब तदबीरें कुछ न दवा ने काम किया

देखा इस बीमारी-ए-दिल ने आख़िर काम तमाम किया

~ मीर तक़ी मीर

الٹی ہو گئیں سب تدبیریں کچھ نہ دوا نے کام کیا

دیکھا اس بیماری دل نے آخر کام تمام کیا

میر تقی میر ~

ultii ho gayiin sab tadbiirein kuchh na davaa ne kaam kiyaa

dekhaa is biimaarii-e-dil ne aakhir kaam tamaam kiyaa

~ Mir Taqi Mir

All remedies failed, the medication did not work

Look, this disease of the heart finally finished me

Reflection

Attachment is the root cause of all sorrow. 

With his Sufi background, (his father was a Sufi mystic) Mir Taqi Mir is skilled at comprehending and communicating the futility of mundane attachment. Almost all his poetry conveys the deep realisation that worldly relationships are fleeting and lead to sorrow. 

In this couplet, he talks about how easily our worldly formulae for success are overturned, and that material possessions are no recipe for joy. 

Our craving for external substances, like the love/approval of others, or our desire for material objects signifying worldly wealth, ensure that we remain stuck in a state of dissatisfaction.

True bliss comes from understanding the ephemeral nature of worldly bonds and realising the true nature of the soul. 

_____

Urdu couplet by Mir Taqi Mir

English translation and reflection by Manish Modi

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