Ishq-e-Majazi
A Fire That Cannot Be Commanded
عشق پر زور نہیں
Mirza Ghalib, ghazal · Urdu
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عشق پر زور نہیں ہے یہ وہ آتش غالبؔ کہ لگائے نہ لگے اور بجھائے نہ بنے
Ishq par zor nahi hai ye woh aatish Ghalib Ke lagaye na lage, aur bujhaye na bane
"Love cannot be commanded, Ghalib — it is a fire that won't catch when you try to light it, and won't go out when you try to put it out."
One of Ghalib's most quoted couplets, and the plainest possible statement of what makes ishq-e-majazi so unlike ordinary affection: it isn't a decision. You don't choose when it starts, and you don't get to choose when it ends.