daim pada hua tere dar par nahin hun main
khak aisi zindagi pe ki patthar nahin hun main

i do not lie embedded, ensconced upon your door
i am not merely a stone, such life i do abhor

kyun gardish-e-mudam se ghabra na jae dil
insan hun piyala o saghar nahin hun main

why shouldn't life's revolutions agitate my heart?
i'm human, not a chalice to be passed around the floor.

ya-rab zamana mujh ko mitata hai kis liye
lauh-e-jahan pe harf-e-mukarrar nahin hun main

lord what reason that this world seeks to erase me so
i'm not a superfluous word that's been written before

had chahiye saza mein uqubat ke waste
aakhir gunahgar hun kafar nahin hun main

viciousness, in punishment, needs to be restrained
after all it's sin, not heresy i answer for

kis waste aziz nahin jaante mujhe
lal o zamurrad o zar o gauhar nahin hun main

neither rubies, gems, nor gold nor pearls, i am therefore
is it for this reason that you choose to thus ignore

rakhte ho tum qadam meri aankhon se kyun daregh
rutbe mein mahr-o-mah se kam-tar nahin hun main

why do you have to keep your feet hidden from my eyes?
less in stature than the sun and moon i am not for sure

karte ho mujh ko mana-e-qadam-bos kis liye
kya aasman ke bhi barabar nahin hun main

what reason that you now refuse to let me kiss your feet
am i not equal even to the heavens anymore

'ghaalib' wazifa-khwar ho do shah ko dua
wo din gae ki kahte the naukar nahin hun main

ghalib you should praise the king, dependent that you are
you used to say "i do not serve", those were the days of yore