jis t̤araf se āʾe haiñ āḳhir udhar hī jāʾeñge
marg se vaḥshat nah kar rāh-e ʿadam paimūdah hai
1) the direction from which we have come-- finally, only/emphatically that way we will go
2) don't feel panic about death-- the road of nonexistence is trifling/overestimated/'measured'
paimūdah : 'Measured; dimensions; a draught of wine; a trifle; an iniquitous thing; anything estimated beyond its size or worth'. (Steingass p.270)
paimūd : 'Measured'. (Platts p.301)
Before being born, we were in nonexistence; and after dying too, we will go only/emphatically there. This road is no new road-- it is one that has been seen, and traversed. Then, in going, what cause for fear?!
SETS
LIFE/DEATH: {7,2}
ROAD: {10,12}
For more on Ghalib's unpublished verses, see the discussion in {4,8x}. See also the overview index.
A sententious little verse, cheerily consoling us in the face of death. But in the emphatic, closural, rhyme-word position is the beautifully chosen word paimūdah . While Platts hardly notices it, Steingass offers an enjoyable set of metaphorical possibilities (see the definitions above). The literal meaning, 'measured', goes with the first line: the road is one that we know because we have already traveled it, seen and 'measured' it, when we were going in the opposite direction. But the idiomatic (in Persian) extensions go with the beginning of the second line-- don't be afraid, it's a trifle, it's a glass of wine, it's just a botheration, it's overhyped and overestimated.
But then, we also know that Ghalib recognizes the therapeutic value of beliefs that are false but comforting-- as he makes clear in {174,10}.
Asi:
From where we've come, to that very place we have to go again. What fear is there of dying? The road of nonexistence is one that we've seen. What is there to be afraid of? It's clear that before birth the human being was in nonexistence; then he became present, then he will be in nonexistence.
== Asi, p. 298