Ghazal is a unique oriental poetic form in which each couplet represents a complete mood and is independent of the other. Mir, the most sophisticated of our earlier poets carried the style to perfection within the limit of this form. Ghalib enriched ghazal by broadening its horizon. The range and depth of Ghalib's ghazals is amazing. They are equally thrilling and captivating. Not only does Ghalib overcome his poignant grief, he laughs away his sorrow. A perennial fountain of humour bursts from most of his couplets. This dominant characteristic makes his poetry remarkably humorous. This glorious aspect of his poetry has however received only sporadic mention. In fact, there is a bewildering variety of humour in all its varied splendour found in his poetry, from the sophisticated to the coarse, from jibe to irony, from parody to pun. It is however in subtle humour that he excels.
Of the numerous examples of subtlety, a fine example is provided in the opening couplet of his “Diwan”. Unlike the usual practice of opening a book with praise of Allah, the merciful, Ghalib begins it with a complaint, admirably cloaking his left-handed salute to the Almighty by oblique allusion. Astonishingly, his higher form of humour is exceedingly mild, like light mint-flavoured tea, when he jocularly hints at the veiled cruelty of God, or he belittles His munificence that pales into insignificance before the greed of man when his emphasis tends to yield the opposite kind of virtue of Providence.
It is not seldom that Ghalib sounds ironical against heaven, as in the following couplet.
Hum ko maloom hai jannat ki haqiqat lekin
Dil ke behlane ko Ghalib yeh khayal achcha hai
(we know the reality of Paradise o' Ghalib, but to keep the heart happy, this idea is good)
Essentially a man of his age, Ghalib's poetry also reflects the prevalent vices in the society during the period of decadence of the Mughal Empire when moral values were at a low ebb. Such couplets bristle with sarcasm, banter, quips, etc. Besides, many incongruities manifest themselves, which thrill the mind in his comic verse. Visualise a suitor in the garb of a wayward lounger, a playful fiancée with a quiver full of arrows, beloved as the fellow traveller of the adversary, a miserly saqi, etc.
At times, Ghalib's humour takes the form of a mental titillation and becomes a brainteaser. Here the curious cast of Ghalib's thought has been discovered by a workshop of writers and made intelligible only by transcreating it;
Tujh se to kutch kalam nahin lekin ai nadeem
Mera salam kehiyo jo namabar miley
(I told the messenger to give you my message. He gave you his heart, fellow lover, how well you were schooled, I salute you)
Even in the most primitive type of humour pun, Ghalib steals the limelight. He infuses a new meaning in it since he plays not only with words, but with ideas also. It is seen from the following couplet that it contains logical ingredients besides emotional spice:
Ishq se tabiyat ne zeest ka maza paya
Dard ki dawa payee dard be dawa paya
(From love itself nature has found love's saviour, found the cure from pain, found the pain without remedy)
Thus, it is seen Ghalib has a couplet for every emotion, nevertheless dominantly hilarious.
