POEM · PERMANENT EDITION

Mirza Ghalib ہوئی جب میرزا جعفر کی شادی Hui jab Mirza Jafar ki shadi ●sher 1 of 2

ہوئی جب میرزا جعفر کی شادی

Hui jab Mirza Jafar ki shadi

ہوا بزم طرب میں رقص ناہید

Hua bazm-e-tarab mein raqs-e-nahid

When Mirza Jafar got married
Nahid danced in the assembly of joy

کہا غالبؔ سے تاریخ اس کی کیا ہے

Kaha Ghalib se tarikh us ki kya hai

تو بولا انشراح جشن جمشید

To bola inshirah-e-jashn-e-Jamshid

Ghalib was asked, "What is its date?"
He replied, "The joy of Jamshed's festival."

Context

This quatrain showcases the tradition of 'تاريخ گوئی' (chronogram composition) in Urdu and Persian poetry, where poets devise phrases whose Abjad numerical values correspond to a specific year. It depicts the renowned poet Ghalib crafting a chronogram, 'انشراح جشن جمشید' (the delight of Jamshid's celebration), for Mirza Ja'far's wedding. This phrase, numerically yielding the year of the event, merges poetic grandeur, invoking the legendary King Jamshid's festivities, with precise historical record, while celestial imagery of Nahid (Venus) emphasizes the joyous occasion.