Ghalib
Hazāroñ Khvāhisheñ Aisī
A famous Ghalib couplet on desire, fulfilment, and the way longing survives even abundance.
Why return to it: Ghalib compresses a whole philosophy of wanting into two lines: fulfilment arrives, yet desire remains unfinished.
Source note: Included as an open-source-friendly reading page with short traditional text, transliteration, and an original plain-English poetic rendering for this site.
Original / source text
Hazāroñ Khvāhisheñ Aisī
ہزاروں خواہشیں ایسی کہ ہر خواہش پہ دم نکلے
بہت نکلے مرے ارمان لیکن پھر بھی کم نکلے
English transliteration
Hazāroñ Khvāhisheñ Aisī
Hazāroñ khvāhisheñ aisī ke har khvāhish pe dam nikle,
Bahut nikle mire armān lekin phir bhī kam nikle.
Poetic English rendering
Hazāroñ Khvāhisheñ Aisī
Thousands of desires — each one intense enough to spend a life upon. So many wishes came to pass, and still the heart felt there were not enough.