ghair len mahfil mein bose jam ke
hum rahen yun tishna-lab paigham ke

rivals get to sip from goblets in her company
thirsty for even a message i'm destined to be

khastagi ka tum se kya shikwa ki ye
hathkande hain charkh-e-nili-fam ke

why should i complain to you for my sorry state
tis the mischief of the sky that decides my fate

khat likhenge garche matlab kuchh na ho
hum to aashiq hain tumhaare nam ke

blank letters i will write to you, it is all the same
because i am a lover, dear, of your very name

raat pi zamzam pe mai aur subh-dam
dhoe dhabbe jama-e-ehram ke

night, at zam-zam i had wine, and then, come dawn
stains in my holy cloak i washed, till they all were gone

dil ko aankhon ne phansaya kya magar
ye bhi halqe hain tumhaare dam ke

your eyes ensnared this heart of mine, how can one forget
these eyes of yours too are the strands of your beauty's net

shah ke hai ghusl-e-sehhat ki khabar
dekhiye kab din phiren hammam ke

news of the king's restorative bath is in the air
let's see when the fortunes of the bath-house now repair

ishq ne 'ghaalib' nikamma kar diya
warna hum bhi aadmi the kaam ke

ghalib, a worthless person, this love has made of me
otherwise a man of substance i once used to be