बे-नाला-ओ-बे-ज़ारी बे-ख़स्तगी-ओ-ख़ारी
इमरोज़ कभी अपना फ़र्दा न हुआ होगा
— Mir Taqi Mir
Meaning
Lacking the flow of a river, lacking the sharpness of a thorn, today, perhaps, my tomorrow has not yet arrived.
Explanation
This profound couplet captures a deep sense of existential melancholy. The poet describes a state of being that is devoid of tears, liveliness, passion, and spirit. The second line, 'Imrooz kabhi apna fardah na hua hoga,' suggests that the speaker's future (tomorrow) has never truly arrived or materialized. It speaks to a life stuck in a perpetual, melancholic present, where hope and change feel perpetually out of reach.
