Ghalib: Selected Poems and Letters

by Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib, Frances W Pritchett (Translation), Owen T a Cornwall (Translation)

This selection of poetry and prose by Ghalib provides an accessible and wide-ranging introduction to the preeminent Urdu poet of the nineteenth century. Ghalib's poems, especially his ghazals, remain beloved throughout South Asia for their arresting intelligence and lively wit. His letters—informal, humorous, and deeply personal—reveal the vigor of his prose style and the warmth of his friendships. These careful translations allow readers with little or no knowledge of Urdu to appreciate the wide range of Ghalib's poetry, from his gift for extreme simplicity to his taste for unresolvable complexities of structure.

Beginning with a critical introduction for nonspecialists and specialists alike, Frances Pritchett and Owen Cornwall present a selection of Ghalib's works, carefully annotating details of poetic form. Their translation maintains line-for-line accuracy and thereby preserves complex poetic devices that play upon the tension between the two lines of each verse. The book includes whole ghazals, selected individual verses from other ghazals, poems in other genres, and letters. The book also includes a glossary, the Urdu text of the original poetry, and an appendix containing Ghalib's comments on his own verses.

Genres: Poetry, Classics, India

273 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 28, 2017

About the author

Mirza Ghalib (Urdu: مرزا غالب) born Mirza Asadullah Beg Khan (Urdu/Persian: مرزا اسد اللہ بیگ خان) was a classical Urdu and Persian poet from India during British colonial rule. He used as his pen-name Ghalib (Urdu/Persian: غالب, ġhālib means dominant) and Asad (Urdu/Persian: اسد, Asad means lion. His honour title was Dabir-ul-Mulk, Najm-ud-Daula.

During his lifetime the Mughals were eclipsed and finally deposed by the British following the defeat of the Indian Revolt of 1857, events that he wrote of. Most notably, he wrote several ghazals during his life, which have since been interpreted and sung in many different ways by different people. In South Asia, he is considered to be one of the most popular and influential poets of the Urdu language. Ghalib today remains popular not only in India and Pakistan but also amongst diaspora communities around the world.

Mirza Ghalib is also known as the last great poet of the Mughal Era.

Reviews

[Flo · Rating 4 out of 5]

2
Except for Qais, no one entered the field of action—
Perhaps the desert had narrowed like a jealous eye.
Distractedness fixed a black spot in the heart.
Clearly, the burnt-out scar was mostly smoke.
In a dream, my mind did business with you—
When my eyes opened, there was neither profit nor loss.
I still take lessons in the school of grief of the heart.
But only that “went” went, and “was” was.
The shroud covered the shame of my nakedness.
Otherwise, in every attire I was a disgrace to life.
Without an axe Kohkan couldn’t die, Asad—
He was dizzy from a hangover of customs and rules.
Either the world is a spellbound city of the silent,
Or I’m a stranger in the land of speech and hearing.
...

5
Although it’s hard enough for every task to be easy,
Not even humans can manage to be humane.

24
...
Shouldn’t I wait for death—since it can’t stand not to come?
Should I desire you—when if you don’t come, you can’t be called?
A burden has fallen from my head that even if lifted, wouldn’t be lifted.
A task has confronted me that even if done, wouldn’t be done.
There’s no power over passion—it’s that fire, Ghalib,
That if lit, wouldn’t burn; and if extinguished, wouldn’t go out.

I don’t speak Urdu so I obviously can’t discuss the fact that some reviewers expressed their reservations about this translation. However, after reading the first ghazal, I felt an immediate magnetism. Like a siren’s song, the charm and depth of Ghalib’s verse are irresistible, and the effect, the punch is as powerful as a ship crashing on the rocks—but not as final…
This book is meant to be read aloud as slowly as possible to relish every single line. If there’s a better translation out there, how will the ship survive?


Feb 21, 21

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, it turns out the greatest poet of the Romantic period use to recite his verses at mashairi nights in colonial Dehli... There's not much to say about Ghalib. His poetry is effortlessly brilliant, even in these translations than can't capture the terse elegance of his Urdu.

[Omama. · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a shame the translation took out so much of the essence of the original. Sometimes, I need to read an English translation of Ghalib's scholarly treatise, just to understand him even better. Always a disappointment. This collection does provide Urdu Ghazals and letters in the second half, so that got a brownie point.

[Krishna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is there something to say...
It is Ghalib's...

[Jestora (muaad) the poet · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s been beautiful to read Ghalib. I picked him up because this year I studied Mughal (Indian) history. He was a Persian poet who was the contemporary of the last Mughal emperor. I wanted to read another love poet from the Persian realm.

He didn’t disappoint. His poems reflect our world today. His feelings do too. I didn’t know, when I picked his book up, that I’d relate to him more than Rumi.

He’s broken, he’s proudly a broken lover. A wonderfully talented poet. It was also nice to read his prose and private letters. All showed off his bright personality.

His heartfelt poems felt like they were curing me. I’m not the only one going mad with feelings.

So 5/5 for that experience. Ghalib requires patience but it’s truly worth it. Now I need to find another poet

[Hafs · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF
I am sure the originals are GORGEOUS but I struggle with reading the Urdu script and my Urdu itself is (as I've recently come to find out mediocre) so why wld I wanna read poetry while stuttering like an idiot??? On the other hand I cannot for the life of me stand these translations, they feel kind of haram to me idk (the way forward would be to find a book that is in Romanized Urdu BUT WHERE??)

[Nusrat Farzana · Rating 3 out of 5]

DNF'ed. The translation is horrible. Three stars because the original must have been good.