Hum hue tum hue ke Meer hue: a ghazal by Mir Taqi Mir

Mir Taqi Mir‘s ghazal.

Ghazal

Hum hue tum hue ke Meer hueUs ki zulfon ke sab aseer hue

Jin ki khatir ki ustakhwan shikaniSo hum un ke nishan-e-teer hue

Nahin aate kisu ki aankhon meinHo ke ashiq bohat haqeer hue

Aage ye be-adaiyan kab thinIn dinon tum bohat shareer hue

Apne rote hi rote sehra keGosha gosha mein aab-geer hue

Aisi hasti adam mein dakhil haiNe jawan hum na tifl-e-sheer hue

Ek dam thi namood-o-bood apniYa safedi ki ya akhir hue

Yani manind-e-subh duniya meinHum jo paida hue so peer hue

Mat mil ahl-e-daul ke larkon seMeer ji un se mil faqeer hue

Difficult words

• Aseer: prisoner
• Ustakhwan shikani: back-breaking labour
• Nishan-e-teer: target of an arrow
• Haqeer: lowly, despised
• Be-adaiyan: indifference, coldness
• Shareer: playful, mischievous
• Aab-geer: pond, a hollow holding water
• Adam: non-existence
• Tifl-e-sheer: suckling child
• Namood: appearing, coming into view
• Peer: old man
• Ahl-e-daul: wealthy people

Background

The opening couplet, “Hum hue tum hue ke Meer hueUs ki zulfon ke sab aseer hue”, says that all are equal before her beauty. The eighth couplet likens human life to the morning: the morning turns white (that is, old) as soon as it is born. Mir’s work comprises six Urdu diwans²; this ghazal is given according to the Rekhta text¹.

Source of the text: Text published on Rekhta, word for word¹.