Khak-e-fursat Bar-sar-e-zauq-e-fana Ai Intizar — Mirza Ghalib
Meaning
O waiting, dust be upon this respite that delays my desire for annihilation! The sand running in the hourglass seems like a fleeing deer to me.
Explanation
Here, Ghalib captures the extreme restlessness of someone eager to reach the end—the ultimate annihilation of the self—cursing the very pause that waiting imposes. Watching an hourglass, the falling grains of sand appear to him not as a steady trickle, but like a startled gazelle leaping away in haste. It is a stunning visual metaphor for how frantic and elusive time feels when the soul is desperate for release.
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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