I am ill-fated, it is essential my name not be spoken.
Whoever in the world seeks victory and triumph.
I never attained dominance over anyone.
For whoever is my partner, that partner is 'Ghalib' (the Victorious).
This Urdu verse, bearing the pen name of Mirza Ghalib, exemplifies the melancholic and self-deprecating yet profound tone often found in classical ghazals. The speaker describes themselves as ill-fated and warns those seeking success to avoid their name, implying an inauspicious presence. However, the verse concludes with a characteristic Ghalibesque twist, asserting that anyone who partners with the speaker is a 'partner of Ghalib,' suggesting a shared destiny of intellectual depth, poetic struggle, or a unique perspective that transcends conventional worldly triumphs.
wit & rebuke · wonder & existence · defiance