Meer Taqi Meer (1722 - 1810)

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Profile

Meer is the biggest name in Urdu poetry, every poet including Mirza Ghalib has acknowledged Meer's greatness.

His real name was Mohammad Taqi. He was born in 1723 in Agra. His grandfather was in the army and his father Mohammad Ali was a very religious man. Mohammad Ali was a sufi and had many sufi friends. When Meer was a little child, his father looking at his face used to say which is this fire burning within your heart that is reflecting on your face. Sufis are lovers of God and so he thought that it was the fire of love for Allah. Living in a atmosphere of sufism at a very young age had profound effect on Meer. He did not had much desires for the worldly things.

When Taqi was about eleven years old, his father died. Those people who were supposed to care for him left him helpless.

From then on his life was one of nomad, jobless and homeless. He moved betwen Delhi, Agra and Luknow. Perhaps all the pain he sufferred in life made him a great poet. His ghazals use simple and common narration methods and he is widely regarded as the Imam (leader/pioneer) of Urdu shayari. Here is a ghazal sung by Mehdi Hassan that I'm fond of.

dekh to dil ki jaa.N se uThataa hai
ye dhuaa.N saa kahaa.N se uThataa hai

And this one by Ghulam Ali.

pattaa-pattaa buuTaa-buuTaa haal hamaaraa jaane hai
jaane na jaane gul hii na jaane, baaG to saaraa jaane hai

Ghazals

List of some of his popular ghazals

• aa jaae.n ham nazar jo koii dam bahut hai yaa.N
• aa.Nkho.n me.n jii meraa hai idhar yaar dekhanaa
• aarazuue.n hazaar rakhate hai.n
• ab jo ik hasrat-e-javaanii hai
• a.ndoh se hu_ii na rihaa_ii tamaam shab
• ashk aa.Nkho.n me.n kab nahii.n aataa
• baarahaa gor dil jhukaa laayaa
• baat kyaa aadamii kii ban aaii
• ba-ra.ng-e-buu-e-gul is baaG ke ham aashnaa hote
• be-Khudii le gaii kahaa.N ham ko
• chalate ho to chaman ko chaliye
• dam-e-subah bazm-e-Khush jahaa.N
• dekh to dil ki jaa.N se uThataa hai
• dil kii baat kahii nahii.n jaatii, chup ke rahanaa Thaanaa hai
• dil se shauq-e-ruKh-e-niko na gayaa
• dushmani hamase kii zamaane ne
• faqiraana aae sadaa kar chale
• Gam rahaa jab tak ki dam me.n dam rahaa
• gul ko mahabuub me.n qayaas kiyaa
• hastii apanii hubaab kii sii hai
• hotii hai garche kahane se yaaro.n paraaii baat
• ibtidaa-e-ishq hai rotaa hai kyaa
• idhar se abr uThakar jo gayaa hai
• is ahad me.n ilaahii mohabbat ko kyaa huaa
• jiite-jii kuuchaa-e-dildaar se jaayaa na gayaa
• jis sar ko Garuur aaj hai yaa.N taajawaarii kaa
• jo is shor se 'Meer' rotaa rahegaa
• jo tuu hii sanam ham se bezaar hogaa
• kaabe me.n jaa.N_balab the ham duurii-e-butaa.N se
• koft se jaan lab par aaii hai
• kyaa kahuu.N tum se mai.n ke kyaa hai ishq
• maani.nd-e-shamaa majalis-e-shab ashkabaar paayaa
• mahar kii tujhase tavaqqo thii sitamagar nikalaa
• mere sa.ng-e-mazaar par Farahaad
• milo in dino.n hamase ik raat jaanii
• 'Mir' dariyaa hai, sune sher zabaanii us kii
• muu.Nh takaa hii kare hai jis-tis kaa
• na sochaa na samajhaa na siikhaa na jaanaa
• patta-patta buuTaa-buuTaa haal hamaaraa jaane hai
• rahii naguftaa mere dil me.n daastaa.N merii
• sahar gah-e-iid me.n daur-e-subuu thaa
• shab ko wo pii_e sharaab nikalaa
• shikavaa karuu.N mai.n kab tak us apane meharabaa.N kaa
• sher ke parde me.n mai.n ne Gam sunaayaa hai bahut
• thaa musteaar husn se usake jo nuur thaa
• tum nahii.n fitanaa-saaz sach saahab
• ulaTii ho gaii.n
• yaar bin talKh zi.ndaganii thii
• yaaro mujhe mu'aaf karo mai.n nashe me.n huu.N

Links

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Extensive Meer Pages by Shakil

Nita's Lyrics Page