Ghalib at his natural best in this ghazal – “which represents a dazzling array of poetic interrogations, none of which contravene one another; instead, they draw the ghazal together to illustrate the workings of the many-minded Ghalib” – From the book “Ghalib: Epistemologies of Elegance” by Azra Raza and Sara Suleri Goodyear.
Here is the entire ghazal (14 couplets) in Roman Urdu with an English translation from the same book, for your enjoyment:
Bazeecha-e-itfal hai duniya meray aage
Hota hai shab-o-roz tamasha meray aage
The world is a children’s playground before me
Night and Day, this theatre is enacted before me
Ek khel hai aurang-e-Suleman meray nazdeek
Ek baat hai aijaz-e-Masiha meray aage
For me the flying throne of Solomon is a game
And only talk, the miracles of Christ before me
Juz naam nahin surat-e-aalam mujhe manzoor
Juz waham nahin hasti-e-ashia meray aage
I acknowledge the face of the universe as only a name
The substance of reality is but superstition before me
Hota hai nihan gard mein sahra meray hote
Ghista hai jabeen khaak pe dariya meray aage
Next to me, the wilderness is shamed into hiding in dust
The servile river grovels in the dust before me
Mat pooch ke kya haal hai mera teray peechey
Tu dekh ke kya rang gait era meray aage
Do not ask what my condition is without you
Just look at your own comportment before me
Sach kahte ho khud bin-o-khud aara hoon, na kyun hoon
Baitha hai but-e-aaina seema meray aage
True, I appear consumed by the niceties of adornment, but of course
An idol mirrors my reflection before me
Phir dekhiye andaaz-e-gul afshaani-e-guftaar
Rakh de koi paimana-o-sahba meray aage
Then witness the blossoming manner of speech
Just place a decanter of wine before me
Nafrat ke gumaan guzre hai main rashk se guzra
Kyunkar kahoon lo naam na unka meray aage
I was presumed hostile where I am merely jealous
Why should I say do not take that name before me
Imaan mujhe roke hai jo kheenche hai mujhe kufr
Kaaba mere peechhe hai kalisa meray aage
Faith retards me, where idols lure me
Kaaba is behind me, the church is before me
Aashiq hoon pah mashooq farebi hai miraa kaam
Majnun ko bura kahti hai Laila meray aage
I desire, my craft is to seduce the desired
The beloved Laila insults the lover Majnun before me
Khush hote hai par wasl mein yun mar nahin jaate
Aai shab-e-hijran ki tamanna meray aage
Joy prevails, but union need not signal death
Yearnings of the dark night of my soul came before me
Hai mauj-zan ik qulzum-e-khoon kaash yahi ho
Aata hai abhi dekhiye kya kya meray aage
Tears of blood create oceans of blood, if only this were it
And yet, what unknown fates must I still behold before me
Go haath ko jumbish nahin aankhon mein toh dum hai
Rahne do abhi saaghar-o-meena meray aage
Even when hands have no movement, sight retains vitality
So leave the accoutrements of wine before me
Hum-pesha-o-hum-mashrab-o-humraaz hai mera
Ghalib ko bura kyun kaho achha meray aage
He is my comrade, my confidant, my fellow carouser
Do not speak ill of him, Ghalib is good before me
xx
The link below is of the video of this beautiful ghazal sung by Jagjit Singh in the Mirza Ghalib TV series, where Naseeruddin Shah played the role of Ghalib:
Below is the entire ghazal, in Urdu script .
urduwallahs 
thanks a lot! was searching for an authentic translation for a long time, this blog was a great help..
Agreed!
Enjoyed a lot. Thanks
Good work dost, keep it up.
Lajawab
***Please delete the above incorrect earlier post by me…this is what happens when you are completely mesmerized. And post the below one. ***
To live and hear such lines is a huge blessing.
Zukta hai mera sar har baar terey aagey
Phir ek aur bar rahmet e ghalib merey aagey.
Pingback: DAD’S STORY: GHALIB | iqbal1066
please send translate of all Urdu jagjeet singh gazal like Mirza galib. thank you
Reblogged this on mohmadpandor's Blog.
Without jagjit singh this great gazal would remain silent
thanks god for sending both
great galib and great JAGJIT IN INDIA .
So insane to compare Ghalib with Jagjit
Good Job Buddy!!
Please add this song by Moh. Raffi,
Full words are present in this .
Reblogged this on durrya.
Go haath ko jumbish nahin, aankhon mein toh dum hai
Rahne do abhi saaghar-o-meena meray aage
– Mirza Ghalib
My Translation
Though my hands can no longer feel, my sight is still alive
Let this sea of lights (entrapments of life) remain before me
– Vineet Raj Kapoor
please take a look at my translation:
Mat pooch ke kya haal hai mera teray peechey
Tu dekh ke kya rang tera meray aage
Do not look at the colors draining from me after you leave
Just look at the colors filling you up just by my presence
(Why ask others, how colorless I seem without you
you must see the range of colors I paint you with/
you must see how colorful you become in front of me
sometimes I believe that Assadullah was talking to Ghalib
his name in this couplet praising himself for creating Ghalib)
I am sorry if any of my understanding offends someone. I apologize in advance.
for complete translation read here
http://counterreport.com/general/mirza-ghalib-bazeecha-e-atfal-translation.html
I think you have very deep insights. The real meaning of this Ghazal is not as simple as it is translated above. the real meaning of many of the lines is an internal experience.
thanks Shuddha for reading my translation and your lovely feedback. It took me 40 years to understand it so much. I am sure somethings still got missed.
Imaan mujhe roke hai jo kheenche hai mujhe kufr
Kaaba mere peechhe hai kalisa meray aage
Faith retards me, where idols lure me
Kaaba is behind me, the church is before me
The ideal translation for the first line should be:
Faith stops me, where idols lure me
Ghalib basically means to say he gets stopped by his faith when he is lured by idols.
Your translation looks erroneous to me.
I thank you for your interest in my translation and am happy to hear your interpretation version. Translations are not transliterations and instead of the true meanings the words which represent the true expressions are what we seek. Ghalib in this poem was treating God and his faith as a retarding force (an unnecessary and avoidable one) and hence my choice of the word “retard”. Still there is enough room for opinions and I shall leave your opinion here for an understanding of the subject for future viewers.
good work and thanks a lot