Hava-e-sub.h Yak-alam Gareban Chaki-e-gul Hai — Mirza Ghalib
Meaning
The morning breeze causes a whole world of roses to tear their collars; create the mouth of a wound if you wish to consume my grief.
Explanation
Ghalib plays brilliantly with the idiom 'gham khaana', which means to sympathize with someone, but literally translates to 'eating grief.' He begins with the morning breeze causing rosebuds to burst open, an image classical poets saw as blossoms tearing open their collars in sheer ecstasy or madness. If you truly claim to swallow my sorrow, he tells us, superficial sympathy won't do; you must tear yourself open like a blooming flower and create the gaping mouth of a wound to absorb agony so vast.
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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