Been reading a lot of Ghalib these days. Apart from his genuinely romantic verses, his poetry seems to carry a lot of the rock music attitude. Though not exactly rebellious, and I'll refrain from using the much glorified adjective "pessimistic", but it surely borders on negative determinism, or fatalism if you will.
परतव-ए-खुर से है शबनम को फ़ना की तालीम
मैं भी हूं एक इनायत की नज़र होने तक
( परतव-ए-खुर= Sunlight, शबनम =Dew, फ़ना =Annihilation, तालीम=Knowledge, इनायत=Favour)
Meaning: As a dewdrop knows of its destruction by sunlight, I, too, await somebody's favour towards the same end
Of course, optimists( what is their motivation anyway?) will point out that it is only a pessimist's interpretation of a beautiful description of the parallel between a dewdrop and a human being. Let them.
गम-ए-हस्ती का 'असद' किससेे हो जुज़ मर्ग इलाज
शमा हर रंग जलती है सहर होने तक
(गम-ए-हस्ती= The pain that is life, जुज़= other than, मर्ग= Death, शमा= candlelight/flame, सहर= Morning)
Meaning: What else other than death can be the cure of the disease that is life? A flame burns in all colours till morning just as life shows all colours till death takes over.
No multiple interpretations here. Ghalib was the first rock lyricist ever!
a reason to rhyme about revelations in real-time
