Ghalib ki Yaad Mein

Zulmat_kade meiN mere shab-e-GHam ka josh hai
Ik shamma'a hai daleel-e-sahar, so KHamosh hai

The literal translation of this shai'r would be as follows:
In my place of cruelty/torture; the night of sadness/repentance reigns ....
a candle is the evidence of break of day; so it is silent.

Verses Demystifying (by an unknown contributor)

• The metaphoric meanings to this shai'r can be broken off into many tangents, but the one that prominently stands out in my mind is that he is referring to "zulmat kade" as his mind or thought process which is vieled by a blanket of darkness and regret. His pain is morphing into verses; he has stayed up all night composing a shai'r to mirror his state of mind, but it is always overcome by pain and cannot be materialised. He goes on to say that there is a light at the end of the tunnel...a candle which is still lit. He is clinging on to this last straw, in the hope that it will transform into a verse that will mirror his emotions. The candle is a symbol of faith...perhaps his confidence to overcome the darkness. He sees the hurdle and wants to overcome it, but needs the strength to reach out to his faith.
• Another angle to look at this shai'r would be to interpret "zulmet kade" as the world we live in. Darkness and despair has overcome him and taken control of his life. He finds himself heartless and alone; relating to no one and nothing. The "shama" in this case would refer to God, as his only hope for redemption and the feeling of belonging. He wants a divine intervention at this point in his life to keep things real...he wants God to talk to him, and tell him everything is alright ( so khamosh hai ).It would not be irrelevant at this point to say that "god is dead"(Nietzche) for Ghalib. It is interesting to note though that he says it in a way so as to keep it ambiguous as to whether he believes in God or not (doosrah misra'a). What I mean is that it could be lit and he just can't relate to it, or that it is there but its not lit anymore.