tum apne shikve kii baateN
Touch on each word to display its meaning
tum apne shikve kii baateN
The Matter of Your Complaints
tum apne shikve kii baateN na khod khod ke puuchho
hazar karo mire dil se ki is meN aag dabii hai
Don't you dig and dig and ask about the matter of your complaints
Beware of my heart, for a repressed fire exists in it
dilaa ye dard-o-alam bhii to muGtnim hai ki aaxir
na giryaa-e-sehrii hai na aah-e-niim-shabii hai
Oh heart, this agony is worthwhile, for in the end,
there is neither morning weeping nor midnight sigh.
nazar-b-naqs-e-gadaayaaN kamaal-e-be_adabii hai
ki xaar-e-xushk ko bhii daavaa-e-chaman-nasbii hai
A look at the shortcomings of the needy is the utmost disrespect,
for even the dry thorn has a claim to the ancestral garden.
huaa visaal se shauq-e-dil-e-hariis zyaadaa
lab-e-qadah pe kaf-e-baadaa josh-e-tishnaa-labii hai
Consummated the union, the desire of the greedy heart is more,
for wine at hand on the goblet's rim is fervor for the thirsty lips.
xushaa vo dil ki saraapaa tilism-e-bexabarii ho
junuun-e-yaas-o-alam rizq-e-muddaa-talabii hai
Bravo to be the heart blissfully unaware!
The madness of despair and melancholy is the daily bread of the seeker.
chaman meN kis ke ye barham huii hai bazm-e-tamaashaa
ki barg barg-e-saman shiishaa rezaa-e-halabii hai
In the garden, whose agitated audience for the spectacle is this?
for every single jasmin leaf is a shard of Aleppo's glass!
imaam-e-zaahir-o-baatin amiir-e-suurat-o-manii
alii vaalii asad-allaah jaanshiin-e-nabii hai
The Imam of the Manifest and the Hidden, the Master of Form and Meaning,
The wali Ali, Lion of God, is the Successor of the Prophet.
About this song
- Lyrics
- Ghalib
tum apne shikve kii baateN (Hindi: तुम अपने शिकवे की बातें , Urdu: تُم اپْنے شَکْوَے کی باتیں) "The Matters of Your Grievance" are the first words of a Gazal written by the celebrated Urdu writer Ghalib.
This poem is a profound reflection on the human condition, blending themes of ignorance, longing, and suffering with exquisite poetic imagery. The poet praises the heart lost in the "enchantment of unawareness" tilism-e-bexaberii, suggesting that blissful ignorance shields it from worldly pain. Yet, the second line reveals that even madness, despair, and pain are essential, serving as sustenance for those who seek their desires. This duality —between the bliss of unawareness and the necessity of suffering— captures the ghazal's essence: a meditation on the complexities of existence. Using metaphors like "Aleppo glass" and "jasmine leaves" adds layers of fragility and beauty, making the ghazal a timeless exploration of emotion and philosophy.
The full given name of Ghalib was Mirza Asadullah Beg Khan (he even used "Asad" as a pen name in the earlier part of his career). On the other hand, the full laqab (honorific title) of the fourth caliph, Ali, was Asadullāh al-Ghālib ("The Victorious Lion of God"). In other words, Ali and Ghalib shared a portion of their names.
Therefore, the seemingly spontaneous invocation of Ali can be interpreted as fulfilling the poetic requirement to mention the author’s pen name in the last couplet of the ghazal—achieved under the guise of devotion yet delivered with mock self-aggrandizement.
