Mir Taqi Mir facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mir Taqi Mir
Mir Taqi Mir in 1786
Born	February 1723 Agra, Mughal India (present-day Uttar Pradesh, India)
Died	20 September 1810 (aged 87) Lucknow, Oudh State, Mughal India
Pen name	Mir
Occupation	Poet
Period	Mughal India
Genre	Ghazal, Mathnavi
Subject	Love, metaphysics
Notable works	Faiz-e-Mir Zikr-e-Mir Nikat-ush-Shuara Kulliyat-e-Farsi Kulliyat-e-Mir

Mir Muhammad Taqi (born February 1723 – died 20 September 1810) was a very famous Urdu poet from the 18th century. He is often called Mir Taqi Mir and is known as one of the best poets in the Urdu language. He helped shape the Urdu language itself!

Mir's father was Meer Muttaqi. After his father passed away, Mir faced some tough times. His step-uncles helped take care of him. Much of his poetry shows the sadness he felt, especially about his beloved city, Delhi, which faced many challenges during his lifetime. Mir used the pen name (or takhallus) "Mir" in his poems. Later in his life, he lived in Lucknow at the court of Asaf-ud-Daulah.

Life Story of Mir Taqi Mir

Most of what we know about Mir's life comes from his autobiography, Zikr-e-Mir. This book tells us about his childhood up to when he moved to Lucknow. However, it doesn't always give dates or a clear timeline, so some parts of his life are still a bit of a mystery.

Growing Up and Early Years

Mir was born in Agra, India, in February 1723. At that time, Agra was called Akbarabad and was part of the Mughal Empire. His grandfather had moved there from Hejaz.

Mir's father, Mir Abdullah, was a religious man who taught him important lessons about love and kindness. These ideas stayed with Mir throughout his life and influenced his poetry. When Mir was a teenager, his father died, leaving him with some debts.

A few years later, Mir moved from Agra to Delhi. He went there to continue his education and to find people who could support him financially. He received a daily allowance from Khan-i Dauran, an important official from Agra.

Life in Lucknow

Mir Taqi Mir, Lucknow, 1800-10

Mir spent most of his life in Mughal Delhi. However, after the city was attacked many times starting in 1748 by Ahmad Shah Abdali, Mir decided to move. He was very sad to see his dear Delhi being damaged. He expressed these sad feelings in some of his poems.

Mir moved to Lucknow in 1782 and stayed there for the rest of his life. The ruler, Asaf-ud-Daulah, welcomed him kindly. But Mir found that some of the poets in Lucknow thought his style was old-fashioned. Mir, in turn, didn't think much of the new poetry in Lucknow.

Over time, Mir's relationship with his patron became difficult, and he eventually left the court. In his later years, Mir felt very alone. His health got worse, and the deaths of his daughter, son, and wife caused him great sorrow.

His Final Resting Place

Mir Taqi Mir passed away on September 20, 1810, when he was 87 years old. Sadly, the marker for his grave was removed when railway tracks were built over the area. In the 1970s, a special memorial (called a cenotaph) was built near where he was believed to be buried.

Mir's Amazing Poetry

Mir's complete collection of works is called Kulliaat. It has six Diwans (volumes) with over 13,585 couplets! These poems include different styles like ghazal, masnavi, and qasida.

Mir is most famous for the ghazals in his Kulliyat-e-Mir, which are often about love. His masnavi poem, Mu'amlat-e-Ishq (The Stages of Love), is considered one of the greatest love poems in Urdu literature.

Mir lived when the Urdu language and its poetry were still developing. He had a natural talent for blending local expressions with new ideas from Persian language and poetry. This helped create a beautiful new language for poetry called Rekhta or Hindui. He used his native Hindustani language and added some Persian words and phrases. This made his poetic language simple, natural, and elegant, guiding future generations of poets.

The sadness from losing family members and the difficult times in Delhi added a deep, emotional feeling to much of Mir's writing. He is well-known for his poetry that expresses sadness and melancholy.

Mir and Mirza Ghalib

Another famous Urdu poet of Mir's time was Mirza Rafi Sauda. Mir Taqi Mir is often compared to a later Urdu poet, Mirza Ghalib. People who love Urdu poetry often debate who was better, Mir or Ghalib.

It's interesting to know that Ghalib himself respected Mir's genius. Here are two couplets (two-line verses) by Mirza Ghalib that show his admiration for Mir:

Even though Ghalib and another poet named Zauq were rivals, both of them believed in Mir's greatness and showed it in their own poetry.

Famous Couplets by Mir

Here are some of Mir Taqi Mir's well-known couplets:

This poem can also be understood on a deeper, spiritual level, where the "she" or "You" refers to God:

Other famous couplets:

Mir Taqi Mir in Stories and Movies

• Khushwant Singh's famous novel Delhi: A Novel shares interesting details about the life of this great poet.
• Mah e Mir is a 2016 Pakistani biographical film about Mir Taqi Mir. The actor Fahad Mustafa played the role of the poet.

Major Works by Mir Taqi Mir

• Nukat-us-Shura: A book written in Persian that lists and describes Urdu poets of his time.
• Faiz-e-Mir: A collection of five stories about Sufis (spiritual people) and faqirs (holy people), written to teach his son, Mir Faiz Ali.
• Zikr-e-Mir: His autobiography, written in Persian.
• Kulliyat-e-Farsi: A collection of his poems written in Persian.
• Kulliyat-e-Mir: His main collection of Urdu poetry, with six volumes.
• Mir Taqi Mir Ki Rubaiyat: A collection of his rubaiyat (a type of four-line poem).

See also

• List of Urdu poets
• Ghazal
• Mah-e-Meer