My father was a great fan of Urdu poetry. He had collections of Mirza Ghalib, Allama Iqbal, and many other Urdu poets. There was a couplet he was very fond to reciting to us when we asked for something that was out of his purchasing power;
hazaron khwahishen aisi ke har khwahish pe dam nikle
buhat niklay mery arman lekin phir bhi kam niklay
(ہَزاروں خَواہشیں ایسی کہ ہر خَواہش پہ دَم نکِلے
بُہت نکِلے میرے اَرمان لیکن پھر بھی کم نکِلے)
Roughly translated/ paraphrased, it goes like this;
In life there are thousands of desires, each demanding a sacrifice
Many of my wishes were fulfilled, yet too many left unfulfilled
At first, he had to explain the meaning of these lines to us and later whenever we made an outrageous request, he would recite only the first line and we got the message.
All his life, he was in government service and had a lot of power during his tenure, but being scrupulously honest we had a very simple lifestyle. We never went without necessities but had very few luxuries. But he taught us that honesty was way more important than having material things.

Written for Linda’s SoCS- A phrase I grew up with.
Your prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “a phrase you grew up with.” Include in your post a phrase your mom/dad/grandparent/sibling used all the time when you were growing up, or just write whatever inspires you based on that phrase. Enjoy!
#Keepitalive
#SoCS
I used to enjoy Ghalib being read. So pretty. Translations just don’t do it justice.
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Thanks SadiRose! And you’re right I couldn’t translate it the way it should have been
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Your father was and honorable and wise man.
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Thank you so much Mary. He was. 😍
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This couplet is my mom’s favorite, as my grandfather used to recite this to her. Yes, my maternal grandfather could read, speak, and write Urdu. For that matter, even my paternal grandfather could read and speak. I don’t know much about writing. They both were childhood besties who met in their old age, each seeking a suitable match for their child…
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Aww, so sweet. Ghalib was an Indian poet and was much revered there still. Thanks
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My mom also recites one more couplet, and I am sharing it here with you… Please do the translations, as I am not good at that…
Ya toh deewana hasein, yaah to deewana hasein, yaah phir who, jisse tu taufiq de, warna iss duniya main aakar ke hassta sakta hain kaun.
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This is excellent poetry! Thanks for sharing
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I sure something is lost in translation but even in translation the words are very wise.
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Of course I cannot translate it as well as the the original, which is very profound and beautiful.
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But that’s my point even though something is lost in the translation even the translated version is extremely beautiful and poignant.
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Thank you so much Greg. 🙏🏼
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Important and valuable lesson Sadje, your father was a wise man! 😁👍
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Thanks Ken. He was a very wise and kind man.
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Such wisdom, Sadje. Wonderful .💕
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Thank you so much Grace
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My pleasure, Sadje.
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🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
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I like this better than “Do as I say not as I do.”
Which while said often in jest… by some of my family… was more of a reality.
I learned to be a better person by others bad examples which I chose to ‘not do as they did.’
Also thank you for introducing me to; ‘Urdu poetry is a tradition of poetry and has many different forms. Today, it is an important part of the cultures of South Asia. According to Naseer Turabi there are five major poets of Urdu which are Mir Taqi Mir, Mirza Ghalib, Mir Anees, Allama Iqbal and Josh Malihabadi.’ I’m looking at the Wiki post about it.
‘Both the Muslims and Hindus from across the border continue the tradition.’ ‘It is fundamentally performative poetry and its recital, sometimes impromptu, is held in Mushairas (poetic expositions). Although its tarannum saaz (singing aspect) has undergone major changes in recent decades, its popularity among the masses remains unaltered. Mushairas are today held in metropolitan areas worldwide because of the cultural influence of South Asian diaspora. Ghazal singing and Qawwali are also important expository forms of Urdu poetry.’
I’ve heard of Ghazal, but not Qawwali. May we all be content with what we have. 💖
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Thank you so much Jules! I’m so impressed that you did all that research. I’m a big fan of Urdu poetry, thanks to the influence of my father. Sometimes I’ll share a qwalli and gazal with you.
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😀
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💙
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Enjoyed reading this Sadje 😊
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Thank you so much Happy.
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This was nice to see, even if your translation lost a bit of the magic of the poem. Plus it is very good advice to remember. 🙂
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Thanks Barbra.
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My mother would often say, “That’s just ducky.” She would say it when things didn’t go as planned, or more often if she was unhappy about something we did or said that didn’t please her.
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It’s such a cute phrase.
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Wise words indeed.
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Thanks a lot Suzette
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Always a delight Sadje. Cheers.
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💖
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what a wonderful gift from your wise father Sadje!
” But he taught us that honesty was way more important than having material things.”
💖
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It was a priceless lesson. Thanks Cindy.
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I can see that. Kudos to your dad!
💖👏👏
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Much appreciated dear friend
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You’re most welcome! 💖💖
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😍
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Beautiful lines, with a wonderful life message. Thank you for sharing, Sadje.
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You’re welcome my friend
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What a kind and honest man he was! I’m glad he taught you the most important values of living. ❤
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He was and I’m glad that he taught me the correct values. Thanks
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That’s the best thing a parent could ever do in a kid. You’re most welcome
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Very true Lamittan ❤️
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Indeed, Sadje ❤
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❤️
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I also love urdu poetry like your father and Ghalib is my favourite poet.❤
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Ghalib’s poetry is such a
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Thought provoking poetry
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Absolutely it is true about Ghalib…
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Indeed.
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Every time you share more and more about him he sounds like a very wise man!
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Thank you Leigha, he was really a very wonderful father and person.
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Urdu poetry has a richness in tradition and has many different forms that were basically started from Arabic and borrowing mush from Persian Language. Urdu poetry witnessed its growth and development during the early eras of 13th century, when some bards of the north India initiated in varied experimentation with the style.
https://www.indianetzone.com/62/urdu_poetry.htm
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