POEM · PERMANENT EDITION

Mir Taqi Mir پھر بھی کرتے ہیں میرؔ صاحب عشق Phir bhi karte hain Mir sahib ishq ●sher 1 of 2

پھر بھی کرتے ہیں میرؔ صاحب عشق

Phir bhi karte hain Mir sahib ishq

ہیں جواں اختیار رکھتے ہیں

Hain jawan ikhtiyar rakhte hain

Still, Mir Sahib engages in love.
The young possess the power of choice.

چوٹٹے دل کے ہیں بتاں مشہور

Choṭṭe dil ke hain butaan mashhoor

بس یہی اعتبار رکھتے ہیں

Bas yehi aitibar rakhte hain

Idols are renowned as heart-thieves.
This is the only trust they hold.

Context

These couplets by Mir Taqi Mir epitomize the classical Urdu ghazal, exploring the bittersweet complexities of love, free will, and the beloved's paradoxical nature. Mir, a master of introspective verse, often delves into the heartache inflicted by capricious 'idols' (a metaphor for the beloved), and the poignant irony of trusting in their known tendency to break hearts, a central theme in Indo-Persian poetic traditions.