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Some general background on Mir [miir mu;hammad taqii miir] and his life: Ralph Russell and Khurshidul Islam. Three Mughal Poets: Mir, Sauda, Mir Hasan. Chapter 6: 'Mir: the Man and his Age': [on this site]

A kind of memoir by Mir: Zikr-i Mir: The Autobiography of the Eighteenth Century Mughal Poet. Translated and introduced by C. M. Naim. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 1999. Available through the Hathi Trust.

An example of *Mir's own handwriting*, as he transcribes some verses. Source: ;hadii;s-e miir , compiled and edited by maqbuul a;hmad laarii (Lucknow: All-India Mir Academy, 1967), p. 295.

Mir lived from 1723 to 1810. He left us six divans of Urdu ghazals (as dated by SRF, Murty preface, 2017):

ONE: The first (and largest) divan (663 ghazals) was compiled and edited in 1165 AH (1751-52); for discussion see {314,6}.

TWO: The second divan (390 ghazals) was compiled and edited around 1775/6; see {336,2}.

THREE: The third divan (256 ghazals) was compiled and edited in Lucknow between 1785 and 1798.

FOUR: The fourth divan (221 ghazals) was compiled and edited in Lucknow between 1785 and 1798.

FIVE: The fifth divan (249 ghazals) was compiled and edited in Lucknow from 1798 to 1803; see {1577,4}.

SIX: The sixth divan (132 ghazals) was edited in last two years of his life, 1809-1810; see {452,2}.

Some textual problems and misunderstandings that have confronted his editors: {6,2}, famous line misquoted; {12,2}, famous line misquoted; {24,2}; {60}, problems with h in alphabetization; {71,1}; {84}, problems with h in alphabetization; {120,2}, interpretive concerns generate guesses; {124,2}, mire vs. tire ; {256,1}, famous verse wrongly attributed to Mir; {290,10}, on ;xvaab-laa ; {371,1}, on the fardiyaat ; {484,1}, a defective(?) text; {501,1}, two ghazals, not one; {601,7}, an incorrect 'verse-set'; {602,10-11}, a mistaken verse-set?; {605,1}, famous line misquoted; {617,1}, lines in reversed order; {696,5}, yahii;N for yuu;N hii ; {698,11}, sar-e tez vs. sar-e tiir ; {711}, problems with h in alphabetization; {745,4}, ;xuu;N for ;xve ; {757,1}, virtually same ghazal appears in two divans; {877,1}, dha;Nsaknaa ; {885,1}, gender of halaak ; {909,4}, se vs. sii ; [{930,9}], a wrong word is famous; {949,8}, the problem of raq((ah-vaare;N ; {1015,1}, famous verse wrongly attributed to Mir; {1037,3}, pardah vs. parrah ; {1047,10}, wrongly reading maut;aa as motii ; {1139,7}, jo kii or jogii ; {1177,7}, a small defect in scansion?; {1200,1}, baa;G-o-.sa;hrah ; {1201,6}, jhakka;R as jhag;Raa ; [{1223,3}, uljhe suljhe ]; {1256,5}, ;Gaarat vs. ((imaarat ; {1320,2}, famous verse wrongly attributed to Mir; {1327,5}, chalaa jaataa thaa versus other possibilities; {1341,5}, sarvaad or sarvaah ; {1480,3}, naa-paidaa vs. nah paidaa ; {1502,2}, qaraar gayaa vs. qaraar kiyaa ; {1624,2}, a textual uncertainty; {1726,3}, sail vs. piil ; {1768,3}, pahu;Nche vs. pahu;Nche;N ; {1781,1}, apne vs. apnii ; {1791,3}, kih vs. kam ; {1903,8}, fitnah vs. fitne

Apocryphal verses wrongly attributed to Mir: {256,1}*; {1015,1}**

Mir's references in ghazal verses to other poets: {84,4}

On Mir's Persian poetry: {1504,5}

Was Mir a Sayyid? See {330,7}

Mir's religious feelings: {344,5}

Mir has a set of remarkable-- and remarkably fine-- ghazals with the refrain ((ishq

How do we recognize a 'verse-set'? On this question see: {309,15}; {602,11}.

Mir's longest ghazal: {804}, with 32 verses; also pretty long is {377}, with 24 verses

A ghazal in a remarkably short meter with remarkably long rhyming elements: {381}

on aah vs. vaah: {48,7}



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