نہ تھا کچھ تو خدا تھا کچھ نہ ہوتا تو خدا ہوتا
ڈبویا مجھ کو ہونے نے نہ ہوتا میں تو کیا ہوتا
When there was nothing, God was there.. If there had been nothing, there would have been God. In emptiness, God would still exist. In nothingness Only God would exist. In the beginning nothing was there, except God. If there would have been nothing, God would have still been there. My existence has let me down. Becoming (My being) has defeated me. If I did not exist, what would I be? If I did not existed, what harm would it be?
ہوا جو غم سے یوں بے حس تو غم کیا سر کے کٹنے کا ؟
نہ ہوتا گر جدا تن سے تو زانو پر دھرا ہوتا
When the mere existence has become a burden and a curse by the pain and suffering all around, then what is pain at the head being cut off? My loss of faith in God has made life such a misery that death looks to be the only solution and I have no qualms about it. If it would have not been cut off (for God is merciful, and He would spare my life from this violent death), it would always be bent to my knees in devotion to the God to make amends to my faithless and immoral existence.
ہوئی مدت کہ غالب مر گیا ہے پر یاد آتا ہے
وہ ہر اک بات پہ کہنا کہ یوں ہوتا تو کیا ہوتا
A long time has passed since Ghalib passed away, but he still comes back to the memory. Saying every-time that had it not been this way, then how it would have been? The contemplation that if I have lived my life differently [followed the correct way] what would have I been. Would it have mattered? Would it have amounted to anything other than death because eventually death is the final Truth?
These are a few strings of his ghazal. It's just mesmerizing.
I took the translation of this ghazal from rahulnegi.blogspot