Such an erotic connection to the divine may seem alien to Western minds, but Ghalib was not alone in this personal relationship he merely took it to its height. His love affair with God was the occasion of many poems of unrequited love, of the cruel mistress. As he lived next to a mosque, he said he was God's neighbor. THE INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP to God took many ironic forms. When the Sepoy Mutiny took place around him, he addressed a letter to Queen Victoria, offering his services - for a price - to her. HE FOUND HIS CALLING as a court poet, in and out of favor. Unfortunately for Ghalib, they both died when he was young, and he had to find a way to support himself. His father and uncle both led mercenary soldiers in the service of one rajah or another in Northern India. GHALIB WAS AN OUTSTANDING poet in both Persian and Urdu, though his family may have come from Afghanistan.
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