Following is one of Mirza Ghalib’s famous ghazals. We think it will be interesting if we let our readers try to translate it. You can choose a language and style of your own. You can translate it in English or salees (easy) Urdu, Sindhi, Punjabi etc. You can translate it funny, silly or melancholy. You can turn it into a ‘azad nazm’ or even make ‘nasr’ (prose) or a story out of it. Wanna take this challenge? Bring out your creativity. There is no wrong answer here.
Serious Ghalib lovers! Look at ATP’s related posts on Ghalib in the middle column of this page.
Both Allah Wasaya’s translation in Punjabi and the Translator’s rendering in English are hilarious, even profound. I read these to a small informal gathering at our place (who get together once in a while to discuss a given poet and recite one or two of his poems). Today was Josh’s and Rahman Baba’s day, but at the end I read these two translations just for amusement. Both translations received a “standing ovation” from the group!
Owais Saheb,
your copy of the poem does not includes two couplets of the poem before the last lines:
Han bhala kar tera bhala hoga,
aur dervish ki sada kia hai.
Jan tum pay nisar karta hoon
Main nehi janta ki dua kia hai.
Do good and have good,
What else an ascetic could ask for,
My everything is for you
Though i don’t know anything about prayers.