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 10th 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 if you forward me emails of your Urdu/non-Urdu friends.

Here is today’s verse (she'r) in Urdu script and also in Roman script. 

Dil meiN, zowq-e-wasl-o-yaad-e-yaar tak baqi nahiN   My heart is neither enthused to meet her nor carry tickling memory of our past meetings      Aag is ghar meiN lagi aysi ke, jo tha  jal gaya      This house’s inferno was so brutal, whatever was there, gutted. 

Zowq= joy, happiness       wasl=meeting with beloved           Yaad-e-yaar = Remembrance of friend 

This is 2nd she'r of Ghalib’s 5th Ghazal. In contrast to other Ghazals, in this Ghazal Ghalib has used simple construction and common words.

In above she'r Ghalib narrates what happened to his house, his heart. When a house is engulfed by a fire, entire content of house also becomes zero or ashes. What is the content of a lover’s house? Elsewhere Ghalib has said, “Chand tasweer-e-butaN, chand hasinoN ke khutut - Baad marne ke mere, ghar se yeh samaN nikle!” Meaning when I die the content in my house should be only pictures of beautiful damsels and letters of beautiful girls!  In our today’s she'r Ghalib says: since my house i.e. my heart got gutted in fire, my only possessions namely, zeal to meet her and nostalgia of her memory, also were gutted; desire to meet her and her memory were gone. Question is what is this fire? The fire Ghalib is talking about is the inferno of jealousy! Because he saw her beloved going with some one else, jealousy burnt his heart to ashes and along with are gone the joy of her meeting and her tickling memory. Both caught flames and Ghalib lost the good past that he had with her. 

This is a stage in love when hopes, dreams, meetings, separations, 24 hour chanting her name, looking at her pictures, waiting for sound of her steps, or for that sake all desires evaporate. This is the apex of lover’s despair. If you read this verse several times you’ll actually feel the pain Ghalib is talking about.

This She'r is very poplar. The second line “Aag is ghar meiN lagi aysi ke, jo tha jal gaya”, is frequently quoted in a tragic situation when someone loses a dear friend or family members. In Iraqi-Palestine-Afghanistan situation when tragedies are befallen every hour this She'r is right on the dot.