मैं और सद-हज़ार नवा-ए-जिगर-ख़राश तू और एक वो न-शुनीदन कि क्या कहूँ
— Mirza Ghalib
Meaning

I am here with hundreds of thousands of heart-rending laments, and you are there with that one act of not listening – what can I say?

Explanation

My dear friend, Ghalib’s words often hit deep, and this couplet is a profound lament from the soul. He speaks of himself, brimming with "sad-hazār navā-e-jigar-ḳharāsh"—a hundred thousand heart-wrenching cries. Imagine, a soul ripped apart! And on the other side? The beloved, or fate, offering only "na-shunīdan"—a singular, unyielding refusal to hear. It's this agonizing contrast, you see: overwhelming suffering met with absolute, deliberate indifference. Ghalib is essentially asking, "What can I even say?" when all expression is met with a deaf ear. This isn't just about love; it's the profound isolation we feel when our deepest pain goes utterly unheard. Like a child pouring out their heart to a distracted parent, only to be met with an empty nod. He captures the despair when language itself fails in the face of such unyielding silence. It’s a powerful testament to the unbridgeable chasm between immense pain and absolute indifference.

Difficult Words
सद-हज़ार— A hundred thousand, hundreds of thousands, countless
नवा— Sound, voice, melody, song, cry, lament
जिगर-ख़राश— Heart-rending, agonizing, deeply painful, poignant
न-शुनीदन— That which is unheard, unheard of, not to be heard, inaudible

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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