Jab Tak Dahan-e-zakhm Na Paida Kare Koi — Mirza Ghalib
Meaning
Unless someone creates the mouth of a wound to speak through, it is difficult for anyone to open a path of conversation with you.
Explanation
The poet crafts a striking image here, comparing the gaping tear of a wound to an open mouth ('dahan-e-zakhm'). The beloved is so aloof and unyielding that mere words cannot reach them; one must endure profound suffering for the wound itself to speak. Ultimately, this sher suggests that in passionate devotion, pain becomes the only genuine language, and true dialogue can only begin when one is willing to bleed for it.
Interpretation note: meanings and explanations may be AI-assisted and should not replace a primary text or scholarly edition. See the editorial policy.
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