The Candle Flame

by Mirza Ghalib

English version by Robert Bly & Sunil Dutta
Original Language Urdu

He gave me heaven and earth, and assumed I'd be satisfied,
Actually I was too embarrassed to argue.

The spiritual seekers are tired, two or three at each stage of the path.
The rest who have given up never knew your address at all.

There are so many in this gathering who wish the candle well.
But if the being of the candle is melting, what can the sorrow-sharers do?

-- from Lightning Should Have Fallen on Ghalib, by Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib / Translated by Robert Bly

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The Candle Flame