For those who have joined now, let me say few words about this Ghalib series. 

Ghalib, his ghazals, his poems, his genius, and his wits have always fascinated millions of Urdu lovers including myself. Those who want to receive my previous five installments; I shall email them for asking. My email address is asgharf@adelphia.net

This is my 6th installment.  I have received excellent response from lot of friends: both Urdu and non-Urdu speakers. Please know that this is my own, Asghar Vasanwala’s, work and not a forwarding of someone else’s work as some you thought. Please forward this to your friends. Also please send me your comments/complements; I will appreciate that. 

Here is today’s verse (she'r) in Urdu script and also in Roman script. This is 1^st she'r of Ghalib’s 4^th Ghazal:

Kehte ho “Na denge hum, dil agar pada paya”            You say, “I won’t return heart, if I find it dropped”

Dil kahan ke gum kije? Hum ne Mudda'a paya           I have no heart left, how will I lose? Now I know your purpose.

Mudaa =issue, purpose   

This is the first verse of third Ghazal. First she'r/verse of any ghazal is called Matl'a or riser. It is from the Arabic word Tulu = to rise; like sunrise.   In the Matl'a both the lines of a verse must rhyme; hence, it is very musical. A good Matl'a is celebrated for ever. In above she'r Ghalib goes back to his childhood when he used to play with his sweet heart. As we all know, children are mischievous; if a friend drops some thing, the other playmate will pick it up and hide it. Then he/she would tease and quietly say some thing like “Finders keepers” or “If I find some thing I won’t return it.” By this utterance, the other child will know that he/she has dropped or lost some thing. So when Ghalib’s sweetheart teasingly uttered “I won’t return heart, if I find it dropped” Ghalib knew that he lost his heart and she found it. To this Ghalib replies, “I had only one heart and now I don’t have it; so sweet heart, I know the purpose of your utterance. It means that you have stolen it.” 

To some of you, this verse may seem childish; however, it has a deeper meaning. Like many top Urdu poets, Ghalib wants to prove that he is the greatest lover of all times; even greater than Majnu, Farhad, Romeo, Ranjha, or Vamiq. In the above she'r Ghalib wants to tell us, unlike others, he is a born lover; right from childhood his sweetheart use to steal his heart and then tease him. Throughout his book of verse (Divan) Ghalib talks about his superiority over other lovers.  

Applaud Ghalib’s mastery of art in above verse. He says his childhood story and his apex position among lovers of all time, in just two short lines. Notice also the use of same word “Dil” twice in one verse; a rarity in Ghalib’s work. That is because the1st line of verse is a quote.