If one does not cross the stream of sorrow, then even a single lament from the heart has crossed the boundary.

This profound couplet suggests a choice of suffering. The poet, Mir Taqi Mir, says that if he cannot cross the delicate, beautiful 'stream' (pārā) of fragrant flowers, then let him at least cross the stream of deep, heartfelt sorrow ('dil ke ek nālā-e-hezīn'). It is a poignant statement that the pain of the heart is sometimes a more real and necessary passage than any beautiful, superficial experience.