Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Ghalib’s Life and Times
PART ONE: GHAZALS
PART TWO: GHAZAL VERSES
PART THREE: OTHER GENRES
1. Poems
Qa
ṣ
ī
da
s (Odes)
An ode in praise of the Prophet (1821)
An ode in praise of a sleek betel nut (1826)
An ode in praise of the king (1852)
Rub
ā
ʿ
ī
s (Quatrains)
A quatrain on childhood and old age (1816)
A quatrain on “speaking the difficult” (1821)
A quatrain on fireworks and passion (1833)
2. Letters
To Tafta (1858), about the terrible losses of 1857
To Mihr (1859), about Ghalib’s appearance
To Mihr (1860), about the long-ago cruel dancing girl
To Mihr (1860), about being a sugar fly, not a honey fly
To Ala’i (1861), about the poet’s life as a captive
3. Prose
Preface to a Romance (1866)
Notes
Appendix 1. Ghalib’s Comments on His Own Verses
Appendix 2. Ghalib Concordance, with Standard Divan Numbers
Glossary of Technical Terms and Proper Names
Bibliography
Index
Urdu Text