देखी न एक चश्मक-ए-गुल भी चमन में आह
हम आख़िर बहार-ए-क़फ़स से रहा हुए
— Mir Taqi Mir
Meaning
Not even a single spectacle of a flower was seen in the garden, yet we are departing from the spring of the cage.
Explanation
This profound couplet speaks of a deep emotional desolation. The poet says he hasn't even witnessed a single flower's glance in the beautiful garden, yet he has been utterly consumed by the 'spring of the cage.' This contrast is heartbreaking! It suggests that the pain of confinement, the emotional struggle, is far more vivid and real than any natural beauty. Mir Taqi Mir elevates the pain of the heart above the beauty of the world.
