Zauq's famous Urdu ghazal: Apni khushi na aaye, na apni khushi chale...

Legendary poet Sheikh Ibrahim Zauq was a contemporary of Mirza Ghalib. He was court poet of last Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar.

After Zauq's demise, Ghalib took the position as court poet. Along with Momin and Shefta, they formed the golden era of Urdu poetry in Delhi.

Read Zauq's famous ghazal:

लाई हयात आए, क़ज़ा ले चली चले
अपनी ख़ुशी न आए, न अपनी ख़ुशी चले

हम सा भी अब बिसात पे कम होगा बद-क़मार*
जो चाल हम चले वह बोह्त ही बुरी चले

बेहतर तो है यही कि न दुनिया से दिल लगे
पर क्या करें जो काम न बे-दिल-लगी चले

हो उम्र-ए-ख़िज़्र भी तो म'अलूम वक़्त-ए-मर्ग
हम क्या रहे यहां, अभी आए अभी चले

शेख़ इब्राहीम ज़ौक़


Now read the same ghazal in Roman transliteration:


laayii hayaat aaye, qazaa le chalii chale
apnii khushii na aaye, na apnii khushii chale

*ham saa bhi ab bisaat pe kam hogaa bad-qamaar
jo chaal hum chale voh boh't hi burii chale

behtar to hai yahii ki na duniyaa se dil lage
par kyaa kareN jo kaam na be-dil-lagii chale

ho umr-e-Khizr bhii to ma'aluum vaqt-e-marg
hum kyaa rahe yahaaN, abhii aaye abhii chale

duniaa ne kis kaa raah-e-fanaa meN diyaa hai saath
tum bhii chale chalo yuuN hi jab tak chalii chale

Sheikh Ibrahim 'Zauq'

* kam honge is bisaat pe ham jaise bad-qamaar [first line of this couplet is often quoted in this way also]

[qazaa=death, bad-qamaar=unlucky gambler]