SHAI'R 9

The literal translation of this shai'r would be as follows:

Look at the expanse of the night/space or the patches/corners of the ground. It is like the collection/pride of a gardener and the sleeve/scent of a florist.

I think Ghalib is in a rare state of mind as far his poetry goes. He is being very optimistic and joyous when saying that every where he looks he sees a gathering of flowers. He can be pondering on the stars or staring at a grain of sand and he compares these moments to happy thoughts of a garden or a sweet scent. He is looking upon nature as a collection of beautiful flowers; whether they are arranged in a garden or individually picked by a florist they are still beautiful. Ghalib also has a sense of sarcasm that is unparalleled, so to say that he is being sarcastic would not be far fetched. He is saying that everyday is like a chess game that is changed with every move; he never knows what to expect and he compares it to a handfull or garden of flowers where each one is different. The last statement reminds me of a quote from scarface where Al Pacino says "everything is roses" ...every rose comes with a thorn.