मुझ तक कब उन की बज़्म में आता था दौर-ए-जाम
साक़ी ने कुछ मिला न दिया हो शराब में
Transliteration:
Mujh tak kab un ki bazm mein aata tha daur-e-jaam,
Saaki ne kuch mila na diya ho sharaab mein.
Meaning of the Keywords
Bazm: A gathering, assembly, or court (usually hosted by the beloved).
Daur-e-jaam: The rotation or passing around of the wine cup among the guests.
Saaki: The wine-server or cup-bearer.
The Literal and Deeper Meaning
Literal Translation:
When did the rotation of the wine cup ever used to reach me in her gathering?
I fear the Saaki (cup-bearer) has mixed something into the wine.
The Psychological & Wry Meaning:
This couplet is a classic showcase of Ghalib’s trademark cynicism and dark humor.
The poet is sitting in a social gathering hosted by his beloved. Normally, he is completely ignored, marginalized, and treated as an unwanted guest. The wine cup is passed around to everyone else in the room, but the rotation always skips him or stops just before it reaches his hands. He is accustomed to this ill-treatment.
But today, something highly unusual happens: the Saaki actually brings the wine cup directly to him.
Instead of being happy or grateful, the poet immediately becomes deeply suspicious. He knows the cruel nature of the host and the gathering too well. He reasons with self-deprecating pessimism: "I am never given wine here. If they are suddenly showing me favor and handing me a drink today, it cannot be out of kindness. There must be a catch. The Saaki has definitely slipped some poison (or a sedative) into this glass to finish me off or humiliate me."
It beautifully captures the mindset of someone so deeply battered by bad luck and rejection that when something good finally happens, they can only view it with paranoia and distrust.
This couplet is a classic showcase of Ghalib’s trademark cynicism and dark humor.
The poet is sitting in a social gathering hosted by his beloved. Normally, he is completely ignored, marginalized, and treated as an unwanted guest. The wine cup is passed around to everyone else in the room, but the rotation always skips him or stops just before it reaches his hands. He is accustomed to this ill-treatment.
But today, something highly unusual happens: the Saaki actually brings the wine cup directly to him.
Instead of being happy or grateful, the poet immediately becomes deeply suspicious. He knows the cruel nature of the host and the gathering too well. He reasons with self-deprecating pessimism: "I am never given wine here. If they are suddenly showing me favor and handing me a drink today, it cannot be out of kindness. There must be a catch. The Saaki has definitely slipped some poison (or a sedative) into this glass to finish me off or humiliate me."
It beautifully captures the mindset of someone so deeply battered by bad luck and rejection that when something good finally happens, they can only view it with paranoia and distrust.
The sher combines several hallmarks of Ghalib's poetry:
- irony instead of straightforward lament,
- psychological insight,
- humor in the midst of sorrow,
- and a paradox: good luck itself becomes evidence of bad luck.
"My luck has been so consistently bad that if something good happens, I assume it's a trap."
That blend of wit and melancholy is one of the reasons this couplet remains so memorable.