Khuda-e-Sukhan Mir Taqi Mir
(born 1723 – died September 21, 1810), whose original name was Muhammad Taqi and takhallus (pen
name) was Mir (sometimes also spelt as Meer Taqi Meer), was the leading Urdu poet of
the 18th century, and one of the pioneers who gave shape to the Urdu language
itself. He was one of the principal poets of the Delhi School
of the Urdu ghazal and
remains arguably the foremost name in Urdu poetry often remembered as Khuda-e-Sukhan (god of poetry).
Born in Agra, India (called Akbarabad at the time), ruled by the Mughals at the time.[1] He
left for Delhi, at the age of 11, following his father’s death. His philosophy
of life was formed primarily from his father, whose emphasis on the importance
of love and the value of compassion remained with him through his life and
imbued his poetry. At Delhi, he finished his education and joined a group of
nobility as a courtier-poet. He lived much of his life in Mughal Delhi. Kuchha Chelan
located in famous grain market Khari Baoli, in Old Delhi was his address at that
time. However, after Ahmad Shah Abdali‘s
sack of Delhi each year starting 1748, he eventually moved to the court of Asaf-ud-Daulah in Lucknow, at
the king’s invitation. Distressed to witness the plundering of his beloved
Delhi, he gave vent to his feelings through some of his couplets.
“Kya bood-o-bash poochhe ho Purab ke
sakino
hum ko gharib jaan ke hans hans pukar ke
Dilli jo aik shehar tha aalam mein
intekhaab
Rehte the muntakhib hi jahan rozgaar ke
Jisko falak ne loot ke viraan kar diya
Hum rahnay walay hain
ussi ujray dayar ke“
Mir migrated to Lucknow in 1782 and
remained there for the remainder of his life. He died, of a purgative overdose,
on Friday, 21 September 1810.[1] Literary life
His complete
works, Kulliaat, consist of six Diwans containing 13,585 couplets, comprising
all kinds of poetic forms.
Mir’s literary
reputation is anchored on his ghazals.
Mir lived at a time when Urdu language and poetry was at a formative stage –
and Mir’s instinctive aesthetic sense helped him strike a balance between the
indigenous expression and new enrichment coming in from Persian imagery and
idiom, to constitute the new elite language known as Rekhtaor Hindui. Basing his
language on his native Hindustani, he leavened it with a sprinkling of Persian
diction and phraseology, and created a poetic language at once simple, natural
and elegant, which was to guide generations of future poets.
After his move
to Lucknow, his beloved daughter died, followed by his son (either Mir Faiz Ali
or Mir Kallu Arsh), and then his wife.This, together with other earlier
setbacks (including his traumatic stages in Delhi) lends a strong pathos to
much of his writing – and indeed Mir is noted for his poetry of pathos and
melancholy.
“Mir ke
deen-o-mazhab ka, poonchte kya ho unne to
kashka
khaincha dair mein baitha kab ka tark Islam kiya”
What can I
tell you about Mir’s faith or belief?
A tilak on his forehead in a temple he resides, having abandoned Islam long ago
A tilak on his forehead in a temple he resides, having abandoned Islam long ago
What Mir was practicing was probably the
“Malamati” or
“Blameworthy” aspect of the Sufi tradition. Using this technique, a
person ascribes to oneself an unconventional aspect of a person or society, and
then plays out its results, either in action or in verse. He was a prolific
writer. His complete works, Kulliaat, consist of 6 dewans, containing
13,585 couplets comprising all kinds of poetic forms: ghazal, masnavi, qasida, rubai, mustezaad, satire,
etc.Mir vs Mirza Ghalib
Mir’s famous
contemporary, also an Urdu poet of no inconsiderable repute, was Mirza Rafi Sauda.
Mir Taqi Mir was often compared with the later day Urdu poet, Mirza Ghalib.
Lovers of Urdu poetry often debate Mir’s supremacy over Ghalib or vice versa.
It may be noted that Ghalib himself acknowledged, through some of his couplets,
that Mir was indeed a genius who deserved respect. Here are two couplets by
Mirza Ghalib on this matter.
Reekhtay
kay tumhi ustaad nahi ho Ghalib
Kehte hain agle zamane me koi Mir bhi tha
Kehte hain agle zamane me koi Mir bhi tha
You are
not the only master of Urdu, Ghalib
They say there used to be a Mir in the past
They say there used to be a Mir in the past
Ghalib
apna yeh aqeeda hai baqaul-e-Nasikh
Aap bey behrah hai jo muataqid-e-Mir nahi
Aap bey behrah hai jo muataqid-e-Mir nahi
Ghalib! It’s
my belief in the words of Nasikh*,
“He that vows not on Mir, is himself unlearned!”
“He that vows not on Mir, is himself unlearned!”
Dikhaai
diye yun ke bekhud kiyaHamen aap se bhi juda kar chale”
(She appeared in such a way that I
lost myself
And went by taking away my ‘self’
with her)
Looked as
if rendered me unconcious
away went leaving me separated from
me
Gor kis
dil jale ki hai ye falakShola ek subh yaan se uthta hai”
(What heart-sick sufferer’s misery
is the sky?
an Ember rises hence at dawn)
Ashk aankh
mein kab nahi aataLahu aata hai jab nahi aata”
(From my eye, when doesn’t a tear fall?
Blood falls when it doesn’t fall)
Bekhudi le
gai kahaan humkoDer se intezaar hai apna
(Where has selflessness taken me?
I’ve been waiting for myself for
long)
Ibtidaa-e-ishq
hai rotaa hai kyaaAage aage dekhiye hotaa hai kyaa
(It’s the beginning of Love, why do
you wail
Just wait and watch how things
unveil)
Likhte
ruqaa, likh gae daftarShauq ne baat kyaa badaai hai
(Started with a scroll, ended up
with a record
How pursuit escalated the whole
thing)
Deedni hai
shikasgi dil kiKya imaarat gamon ne dhaai hai
(Worth-watching is my heart’s siege
What a citadel have sorrows seized?)
Baad marne
ke meri qabr pe aaya wo ‘Mir’Yaad aai mere Isa ko dawa mere baad”
(O Mir, She came to my grave after
i’d died
My messiah came to my aid after i’d
died)
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