koii ummiid bar nahiiN aatii

Touch on each word to display its meaning

koii ummiid bar nahiiN aatii

No Hope Comes to Fruition

koii ummiid bar nahiiN aatii

koii suurat nazar nahiiN aatii

No hope comes to fruition

no sign comes in sight

maut kaa ek din mu3ayyan hai

niind kyuuN raat bhar nahiiN aatii

(Since) a day for our death is ordained

Why sleep doesn't come the whole night?

aage aatii thii Haal-e-dil pe haNsii

ab kisii baat par nahiiN aatii

Earlier, this heart's condition (would have) elicited a smile

But now, no matter of it elicits anything

jaantaa huuN savaab-e-taaat-o-zohad

par tabiiat idhar nahiiN aatii

I know the blessings of piety and devotion

but (such) disposition doesn't come this way

ham vahaaN haiN jahaaN se ham ko bhii

kuchh hamaarii xabar nahiiN aatii

I am at that place from which, not even to me

news come (can't know myself)

kaabaa kis muNh se jaaoge Gaalib

sharm tum ko magar nahiiN aatii

With what face will you go to the Kaaba, Ghalib,

unless, you experience no shame?

About this song

Singers: Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Fariha Pervez, Farida Khanum
Lyrics: Ghalib

koii ummiid bar nahiiN aatii (Hindi: कोई उम्मीद बर नहीं आती, Urdu: کوئی اُمِّید بَر نہیں آتی) - "No hope comes to fruition" - is a profound ghazal by the great poet Mirza Ghalib (19th century) that explores existential despair with the linguistic mastery typical of Urdu poetry. Its structure revolves around the repetition of nahiiN aatii (does not come/arrive), a grammatical construction emphasizing absence: of hope (umeed), solace/sleep (neend), laughter/joy (hansi), and even (self-)awareness (khabar).

Musical renditions: Artists like Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (in qawwali style), Farida Khanum (classical ghazal), and Fariha Pervez have interpreted it, notably:

Nusrat: Extended the "nahī̃ ātī" with Sufi melismas, transforming negation into spiritual ecstasy Farida: Gave verses an intimate, painful quality, especially in "Maut ka ek din..." (about death)

Poetic key: The final verse —"With what face will you go to the Kaaba, Ghalib?"— is an ironic self-reproach: the poet questions his own faith while confessing his rebellious nature.

The untranslatable nahiiN aatii makes this ghazal memorable - that negation which becomes hypnotic when sung. In renditions by female vocalists, some words are often modified to suit a feminine perspective.