کوئی اُمِّید بَر نَہِیں آتی

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.