Mirza Ghalib shayari has lived in mehfils and school copies for close to two hundred years, and it still sounds fresh. Ghalib wrote about desire, loss and the strange comedy of being human, all in sher of just two lines. This page brings a small set of his most famous verses, three classic sher by Meer Taqi Meer, and our own original lines written in their spirit, clearly marked so you always know which is which.
Every verse is given in Devanagari with the same words in Roman letters below it. If you are new to the form, our sher shayari page explains how a sher works, and the ghazal shayari page shows how sher join into a ghazal.
Famous Mirza Ghalib Shayari from Diwan e Ghalib
These are Ghalib's own words, the verses people quote most from Diwan e Ghalib. Read each one slowly, the second line always turns the first.
हज़ारों ख़्वाहिशें ऐसी कि हर ख़्वाहिश पे दम निकले
बहुत निकले मेरे अरमान लेकिन फिर भी कम निकले
Hazaaron khwahishen aisi ki har khwahish pe dam nikle
Bahut nikle mere armaan lekin phir bhi kam nikle
इश्क़ ने ग़ालिब निकम्मा कर दिया
वर्ना हम भी आदमी थे काम के
Ishq ne Ghalib nikamma kar diya
Warna hum bhi aadmi the kaam ke
दिल-ए-नादाँ तुझे हुआ क्या है
आख़िर इस दर्द की दवा क्या है
Dil-e-nadaan tujhe hua kya hai
Aakhir is dard ki dawa kya hai
ये न थी हमारी क़िस्मत कि विसाल-ए-यार होता
अगर और जीते रहते यही इंतिज़ार होता
Ye na thi hamari qismat ki visaal-e-yaar hota
Agar aur jeete rehte yahi intizaar hota
उन के देखे से जो आ जाती है मुँह पर रौनक़
वो समझते हैं कि बीमार का हाल अच्छा है
Un ke dekhe se jo aa jaati hai munh par raunaq
Wo samajhte hain ki beemaar ka haal achha hai
हैं और भी दुनिया में सुख़न-वर बहुत अच्छे
कहते हैं कि ग़ालिब का है अंदाज़-ए-बयाँ और
Hain aur bhi duniya mein sukhanwar bahut achhe
Kehte hain ki Ghalib ka hai andaaz-e-bayaan aur
हम को मालूम है जन्नत की हक़ीक़त लेकिन
दिल के ख़ुश रखने को ग़ालिब ये ख़याल अच्छा है
Hum ko maaloom hai jannat ki haqeeqat lekin
Dil ke khush rakhne ko Ghalib ye khayaal achha hai
रगों में दौड़ते फिरने के हम नहीं क़ाइल
जब आँख ही से न टपका तो फिर लहू क्या है
Ragon mein daudte phirne ke hum nahi qaail
Jab aankh hi se na tapka to phir lahu kya hai
बे-ख़ुदी बे-सबब नहीं ग़ालिब
कुछ तो है जिस की पर्दा-दारी है
Be-khudi be-sabab nahi Ghalib
Kuchh to hai jis ki parda-daari hai
Meer Taqi Meer Shayari: Classic Sher and Two Lines of Ours
Meer came before Ghalib and taught Urdu poetry its soft voice. The first three sher here are Meer Taqi Meer ki shayari, his own words. The last two are our original lines in his simple, aching style, not his.
पत्ता पत्ता बूटा बूटा हाल हमारा जाने है
जाने न जाने गुल ही न जाने बाग़ तो सारा जाने है
Patta patta boota boota haal hamara jaane hai
Jaane na jaane gul hi na jaane baagh to saara jaane hai
इब्तिदा-ए-इश्क़ है रोता है क्या
आगे आगे देखिए होता है क्या
Ibtida-e-ishq hai rota hai kya
Aage aage dekhiye hota hai kya
दिखाई दिए यूँ कि बे-ख़ुद किया
हमें आप से भी जुदा कर चले
Dikhai diye yun ki be-khud kiya
Hamein aap se bhi juda kar chale
धूप में जलते रहे, साया कहीं और था,
हम जहाँ बैठे रहे, दरिया कहीं और था।
Dhoop mein jalte rahe, saaya kahin aur tha,
Hum jahan baithe rahe, dariya kahin aur tha.
सादगी हमारी हमें शहर में ले डूबी,
सबको अपना समझा, यही बात ले डूबी।
Saadgi hamari hamein shehar mein le doobi,
Sabko apna samjha, yahi baat le doobi.
Ghalib Shayari on Love and One Sided Love: Our Lines in His Spirit
Ghalib shayari on love laughs and bleeds at the same time. These six are not his verses, they are our own fresh lines written in that spirit, for love that was never fully answered.
उन्हें ख़बर ही न थी, हम हाल सुनाते रहे,
दीवारों से कह कर भी दाद पाते रहे।
Unhein khabar hi na thi, hum haal sunaate rahe,
Deewaron se keh kar bhi daad paate rahe.
हमने उनसे कुछ नहीं माँगा, यही शिकायत ठहरी,
जो माँग लेते तो इनकार में भी इनायत ठहरी।
Humne unse kuchh nahi maanga, yahi shikayat thehri,
Jo maang lete to inkaar mein bhi inayat thehri.
इक तरफ़ा इश्क़ का भी अजब सिला पाया,
उन्हें गुलाब मिला, हमें क़ाफ़िया पाया।
Ik tarfa ishq ka bhi ajab sila paaya,
Unhein gulaab mila, hamein qaafiya paaya.
वो मिलें तो पूछें हम, ये फ़ासला किसका था,
ख़त हमारे थे मगर हर पता किसका था।
Wo milein to poochhein hum, ye faasla kiska tha,
Khat hamare the magar har pata kiska tha.
उनकी महफ़िल में हमारा ज़िक्र यूँ आया,
जैसे चराग़ बुझा के कोई धुआँ लाया।
Unki mehfil mein hamara zikr yun aaya,
Jaise charaagh bujha ke koi dhuaan laaya.
वो पत्थर भी उछालें तो दुआ लगता है,
उनके हाथ से आया हर सिला अच्छा लगता है।
Wo patthar bhi uchhaalein to dua lagta hai,
Unke haath se aaya har sila achha lagta hai.
Ghalib Sad Shayari and Heart Broken Lines, in His Colour, Our Words
People search for Ghalib heart broken shayari when the hurt needs old words. These five sad lines are our own, written with his habit of smiling at the wound.
टूट कर भी सलीक़े से बिखरना सीखा,
दर्द से ही क़रीने से सँवरना सीखा।
Toot kar bhi saleeqe se bikharna seekha,
Dard se hi qareene se sanwarna seekha.
दिल टूटने की आवाज़ कहाँ आती है,
बस महफ़िलों में हँसी ज़रा बढ़ जाती है।
Dil tootne ki aawaaz kahan aati hai,
Bas mehfilon mein hansi zara badh jaati hai.
उन्होंने लौटाए ख़त, मगर पढ़े हुए थे,
इनकार के भी काग़ज़ मुड़े हुए थे।
Unhone lautaaye khat, magar padhe hue the,
Inkaar ke bhi kaaghaz mude hue the.
ग़म से रिश्ता पुराना निभाते आए हैं,
मेहमान वही है, हम ही घर बदलते आए हैं।
Gham se rishta purana nibhaate aaye hain,
Mehmaan wahi hai, hum hi ghar badalte aaye hain.
आँख से आँसू नहीं, क़िस्से गिरा करते हैं,
जो नहीं कह पाए, वही रिसा करते हैं।
Aankh se aansu nahi, qisse gira karte hain,
Jo nahi keh paaye, wahi risa karte hain.
Ghalib Shayari on Life: Original Two Line Sher in His Style
Ghalib shayari on life asks big questions in small lines. Here are five of our own two line sher in that thinking style, new lines, not from any divan.
ज़िंदगी ने शर्तें रखीं, हम हुनर रखते गए,
उसने दरवाज़े गिने, हम सफ़र रखते गए।
Zindagi ne shartein rakhin, hum hunar rakhte gaye,
Usne darwaaze gine, hum safar rakhte gaye.
मिट्टी से पूछा, सारे ताज कहाँ जाते हैं,
हँस के बोली, सब मुझी में समा जाते हैं।
Mitti se poochha, saare taaj kahan jaate hain,
Hans ke boli, sab mujhi mein sama jaate hain.
हासिल की दौड़ में सब कुछ गँवाना देखा,
ठहरे हुए पानी में चाँद आना देखा।
Haasil ki daud mein sab kuchh ganwaana dekha,
Thehre hue paani mein chaand aana dekha.
ख़्वाहिशों का क्या है, वो तो बढ़ती जाती हैं,
सीढ़ियाँ चढ़ते चढ़ते छतें छोटी पड़ जाती हैं।
Khwahishon ka kya hai, wo to badhti jaati hain,
Seedhiyan chadhte chadhte chhatein chhoti pad jaati hain.
किताब-ए-ज़ीस्त में बाब अपने कम लिखे हमने,
हाशिये पर दूसरों के ख़्वाब लिखे हमने।
Kitaab-e-zeest mein baab apne kam likhe humne,
Haashiye par doosron ke khwaab likhe humne.
How to Read Ghalib Ki Shayari in Urdu and Hindi
Mirza Ghalib ki shayari in Urdu can feel dense on the first pass. A few habits make it open up:
- Read the sher twice: the first line sets a scene, the second line turns it. The pleasure is in the turn.
- Catch the radif and qafiya: the repeated ending and the rhyme word before it. Our ghazal shayari page explains both with examples.
- Keep a word list: visaal means union, raunaq means glow, sukhanwar means poet. Ten such words unlock half the divan.
- Say it aloud: Ghalib wrote for the ear. Even heart touching Mirza Ghalib shayari in Hindi letters sounds better spoken than read.
Where to Read More: Diwan e Ghalib and Meer Ka Kulliyat
Everything verbatim on this page comes from the poets' own collected work. Diwan e Ghalib holds his Urdu shayari and is easy to find in Devanagari, Urdu script and Roman editions, often with meanings under each sher. For Meer Taqi Meer shayari, look for his kulliyat, the collected ghazals, and start with the famous ones before the long poems. A good copy with footnotes is worth more than a hundred screenshots, because mis-typed verses online often change a word and lose the meter.
Our own lines on this page are marked clearly in each section, so nothing of ours ever travels under Ghalib's name. For more two line pieces in simple words, see 2 line Urdu shayari.
Which Section Fits Your Mood
| You want | Read | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Ghalib best shayari, his own words | Famous verses section | Verbatim Ghalib |
| Two line shayari of Ghalib's school for status | Life section | Our original sher |
| Ghalib sad shayari feel after a breakup | Heart broken section | Our original sher |
| Old-world romance | Meer Taqi Meer section | Verbatim Meer plus ours |
Use the Image button under any verse to make a clean share card. More poets live on our Jaun Elia and Allama Iqbal pages.
Reader questions
Which is the most famous Mirza Ghalib shayari?
For most readers it is the sher about a thousand khwahishen, each worth dying for. It opens mushairas even today. The famous verses section on this page has it with Roman letters, along with other Mirza Ghalib best shayari from his divan.
Is this Mirza Ghalib shayari in Hindi or Urdu?
Both, in a way. Ghalib wrote in Urdu, and this page shows each verse in Devanagari script with the same words in Roman letters. The language stays his Urdu, only the script changes, which is how most Indian readers enjoy Ghalib ki shayari in Urdu today.
Are all 30 verses here really by Ghalib?
No, and we say so openly. Twelve verses are verbatim classics, nine by Mirza Ghalib and three by Meer Taqi Meer, each marked with the poet's name. The rest are our own original lines in their spirit, written fresh for this page and never presented as theirs.
Do you have Ghalib shayari on one sided love?
Yes. The love section carries our original lines on one sided love in Ghalib's style, like the sher where they get the rose and we get the rhyme. For his own words on love, read the famous verses section first.
What is Diwan e Ghalib?
It is the collected book of Ghalib's Urdu ghazals, the source of nearly every famous sher people quote. Editions with word meanings are the best way in. Reading the divan also teaches you how a ghazal is built, sher by sher.
Where do I find Meer Taqi Meer 2 line shayari in Hindi?
The Meer section above has his classic two line sher in Devanagari with Roman text, including patta patta boota boota. For his full work, his kulliyat is available in Hindi editions.
