Analysis of What Cannot Be Said
Mirza Ghalib 1797 (Kala Mahal) – 1869 (Chandni Chowk, Delhi)
There's one who took my heart away.
But does she own it? I can't say.
See her as unjust though I may,
Is she a tyrant? I can't say.
She strides a bloodless battlefield
Where there's no battle-axe to wield.
She keeps a wineless banquet-hall
Where there's no bowl to raise at all.
Although she serves wine ceaselessly,
Her fingers bring no cup to me.
Her idol-carving hand is sure,
But you cannot call her Azer
When riots quiet down, why must
You brag of ousting the unjust?
There will be nothing you can say
Of the unjust on Judgment Day.
Within the breast the secret lies
Which none can ever sermonize.
How strange a thing it is that throws
The mind askew till no one knows
How I Ghalib am no believer
But can't be called unfaithful either.
Note:
Azer: in the Islamic tradition, Abraham's father who manufactured and served Nimrod's idols. Known as Terah in the Judeo-Christian tradition.
[Trasnlated from Persian ]
Scheme | AA AA BB CC DD EE FF AA GG HH II XJ J |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Tetractys (20%) |
Metre | 11111101 11111111 10101111 11010111 1101010 11110111 1101101 11111111 1111100 01011111 01010111 1110101 11010111 11110001 11110111 10011101 01010101 111101 11011111 01011111 11111010 111101010 1 1000100101101010011101110001010010 1110 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 902 |
Words | 166 |
Sentences | 15 |
Stanzas | 13 |
Stanza Lengths | 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 1 |
Lines Amount | 25 |
Letters per line (avg) | 29 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 55 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 13 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 52 sec read
- 137 Views
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