اس کتاب طرب نصاب نے جب
آب و تاب انطباع کی پائی
When this joyous book
Gained the splendor of printing,
When this joyous book
Gained the splendor of printing,
In the thought of the year's date,
A new form appeared to me.
First, two figures of seven and seven,
Suddenly showed themselves to me.
And then there was the figure of twelve,
With thousands upon thousands of beauty.
The Hijri year became known,
Without any elaborate phrasing.
But now to the sense of wit,
There is a distinct activity.
Seven and seven make fourteen,
With the hope of increasing blessedness.
The purpose of this is the fourteen pure ones (Ma'sum),
Through whom the eye of life has sight.
And the twelve Imams are twelve,
Through whom faith has strength.
For them, Ghalib, this year is good,
Who are the followers of the Imams.
This Urdu poem exemplifies a chronogram (تاريخ), a classical poetic device used to embed a date within verse. The text explicitly mentions 'two sevens' and 'twelve,' not only as numerical components for the Hijri year but also as profound symbolic allusions. The sum of 'seven and seven' refers to the 'fourteen infallibles,' and 'twelve' signifies the 'twelve Imams,' figures deeply venerated in Shia Islam. This dual function layers the poem with a rich cultural tradition of date inscription alongside expressions of faith, further framed by the poet's use of 'Ghalib' as a pen-name.
faith & the divine · wit & rebuke