Here's a crude translation of "Hazaaron Khwahishen aisi...

" by Mirza
Ghalib:

hazaaron khwahishen aisi ke ...thousands of desires, each

har khwahish pe dum nikle worth dying for...
bahot nikle mere armaan, lekin many of them I have
phir bhi kam nikle realized...yet I yearn for more...
Why should my killer (lover) be
daray kyon mera qaatil? kya
afraid? No one will hold her
rahega us ki gardan par?
responsible
voh khoon, jo chashm-e-tar se
for the blood which will
umr bhar yoon dam-ba-dam
continuously flow through my
nikle
eyes all my life
We have heard about the
nikalna khuld se aadam ka dismissal of Adam from Heaven
soonte aaye hain lekin (the biggest disgrace)
bahot be-aabru hokar tere With more humiliation, I am
kooche se hum nikle leaving the street on which you
live...
Oh tyrant, your true (bad)
personality will become known to
all
if the curls of my hair slip through
bharam khul jaaye zaalim! teri
my turban!
qaamat ki daraazi ka
(Basically Ghalib says that your
agar is tarahe par pech-o-kham
secret will be known to all the
ka pech-o-kham nikle
way curls of hair (representing
complexities) slip through the
turban (representing a respected
man) )
But if someone wants to write her
magar likhvaaye koi usko khat,
a letter, they can ask me,
to hum se likhvaaye
every morning I leave my house
hui subaha, aur ghar se kaan
with my pen on my ear. (I still
par rakh kar qalam nikle
love her!)
In that age, I turned to drinking
hui is daur mein mansoob mujh
(alcohol)
se baada aashaami
and then the time came when my
phir aaya voh zamaana, jo
entire world was occupied by
jahaan mein jaam-e-jaam nikle
alcohol
hui jin se tavaqqa khastagi ki from whom I expected
daad paane ki justice/praise for my weakness
voh hum se bhi zyaada khasta e turned out to be more injured
tegh e sitam nikle with the same cruel sword
mahobbat mein nahin hai farq When in love, there is little
jeenay aur marnay ka difference between life and death
usi ko dekh kar jeetay hain, jis we live by looking at the infidel
kaafir pe dam nikle for whom we are willing to die
zara kar jor seene par ki teer-e- Put some pressure on your heart
pursitam nikle to remove that cruel arrow
jo wo nikle to dil nikle, jo dil for if the arrow comes out, so will
nikle to dam nikle your heart...and your life
Khuda ke vaaste pardaah na For god's sake, don't lift the cover
kaabe se uthaa zaalim off any secrets you tyrant
kaheen aisa na ho yaan bhi the infidel might turn out to be
wahi kaafir sanam nikle my lover!
kahaan maikhane ka darwaaza The preacher and the bar's
Ghalib aur kahaan vaaiz entrance are way apart
par itna jaantay hain kal voh yet I saw him entering the bar as
jaata tha ke hum nikle I was leaving!
hazaaron khwahishen aisi ke ...thousands of desires, each
har khwahish pe dam nikle worth dying for...
bahot nikle mere armaan, lekin many of them I have
phir bhi kam nikle realized...yet I yearn for more...

azaaro.n Khvaahishe.n aisii ki har Khvaaish pe dam nikale

bahut nikale mere armaa.N lekin phir bhii kam nikale

There are thousands of ambitions that each such wish could consume my life
My desires , and I experience them all intensely, aren’t enough for this one lifetime.

Dare kyuu.N meraa qaatil kyaa rahegaa usakii gardan par

vo Khuu.N jo chashm-e-tar se umr bhar yuu.N dam-ba-dam nikale
so don’t cry , my love, you didn’t cause this pain

It was my fault that I fell so intensly in love with you.

(why does my murderer fear that hangs around her neck,the consequence of the blood that gushes
down from my head’s bloody wound )
nikalanaa Khuld se aadam kaa sunate aaye hai.n lekin
bahut be-aabaruu hokar tere kuuche se ham nikale

Of the(unclean* ) birth of man, from the womb, one has heard

but you must see my rebirth when I passed shamelessly by your door!

bharam khul jaaye zaalim tere qaamat kii daraazii kaa

agar is turraa-e-purapech-o-Kham kaa pech-o-Kham nikale

The beauty of your flowing, offending, tresses can be fully exposed/experiened

only when I let down my hair (proper attitudes) as I would open my turban.

magar likhavaaye koii usako Khat to hamase likhavaaye

huii subah aur ghar se kaan par rakkhar qalam nikale
( for a long while), I wanted no more than that I get to write the poetic letters
your many admires make me write to you,
( i went each day, like to work , with a pen behind my ear)

huii is daur me.n ma.nsuub mujhase baadaa-ashaamii

phir aayaa vo zamaanaa jo jahaa.N se jaam-e-jam nikale

and I was acquainted with such intoxication during this period(of knowing you), my love
that the world , after , appeared passionless and dry.

huii jinase tavaqqo Khastagii kii daad paane kii

vo hamase bhii ziyaadaa Khastaa-e-teG-e-sitam nikale

I wandered looking for sympathy (to god)

who was himself , it turned out,was lovesick for you

muhabbat me.n nahii.n hai farq jiine aur marane kaa

usii ko dekh kar jiite hai.n jis kaafir pe dam nikale

then for me, there was no difference between living and dying

and I lived , each last breath looking at you (the infidel) from afar,

zara kar jor siine par ki tiir-e-pursitam nikale

jo vo nikle to dil nikale jo dil nikale to dam nikale

I then steeled myself and prised out the arrow of cupid from my heart

so that when it left, it took my heart with it, and with it, my last breath.

Khudaa ke vaaste pardaa na kaabe se uThaa zaalim

Kahii.n aisaa na ho yaa.N bhii vahii kaafir sanam nikale

but now you come back to me, and ask me to lift your veil(marriage for the moslems),

Stop! because you may find me as unfaitful(as you once were) in love..
(for god’s sake do not take off the veil that covers the Ka’aba. lest it turn out that in there i might find my unfaithful love)

Kahaa.N maiKhaane ka daravaazaa ‘Ghalib’ aur kahaa.N vaaiz

par itanaa jaanate \nhai.n kal vo jaataa thaa ke ham nikale

And now my love, that we have both been love sick like this , I wonder
Where were those days of intoxication, and what is this call to faith
(it’s like we’re in revolving doors..You now want me to be married and faithful, when at one point I
would have been nothing but that, from my intoxication! )

How can you compare the door to the winery with the drug store? yet it’s true that when he
went, I was saved)

hazaaro.n Khvaahishe.n aisii ki har Khvaaish pe dam nikale

bahut nikale mere armaa.N lekin phir bhii kam nikale

All these desires now drive my heart

and I could die of each

that no matter how much I suffer from them,

it’s still not enough .