Even dust cannot be found upon my head, in what ruin have we settled and prospered?

This powerful couplet speaks to profound disillusionment. Mir Taqi Mir is lamenting his current state, suggesting that even the meager comfort of dust (khak) is insufficient to soothe his pain. He questions how they managed to establish a life or a semblance of peace—'आबाद'—within such utter ruin (ख़राबे). It is a lament of finding stability only in the most unbearable circumstances.