Couplets › Restlessness
From Bal-e-Jibril · originally composed in Urdu
Aag bujhi hui idhar TuuTi hui tanab udhar
Kya khabar is maqam se guzre hain kitne kaarvaan
Kya khabar is maqam se guzre hain kitne kaarvaan
“A dead fire on one side, a snapped tent-rope on the other; who knows how many caravans have passed through this place.”
Romanहिन्दी
आग बुझी हुई इधर टूटी हुई तनाब उधर
क्या ख़बर इस मक़ाम से गुज़रे हैं कितने कारवाँ
क्या ख़बर इस मक़ाम से गुज़रे हैं कितने कारवाँ
The couplet in Devanagari — it carries the authenticity of the original, and every Hindi reader can read it.
♪ Hear the coupletA recitation in a synthesized voice.
The Interpretation
Iqbal reads a deserted camp like a page of history. The cold ash and broken rope are all that remain of countless travellers who paused here and moved on. The verse holds both the transience of every passage and the quiet dignity of having been part of the long journey.
For You, Today
The place you stand in was shaped by many who came before and will be left for many after. Hold your stretch of the road lightly, and walk it well while it is yours.
In the same spirit
Sitaron se aage jahan aur bhi hain
Abhi ishq ke imtihan aur bhi hain
Abhi ishq ke imtihan aur bhi hain
Beyond the stars there are worlds yet — there are still more trials of love to come.
Aspiration · Love · Restlessness
Apne mann mein doob kar pa ja suragh-e-zindagi
Tu agar mera nahin banta na ban, apna to ban
Tu agar mera nahin banta na ban, apna to ban
Dive into your own self and find the trace of life. If you will not be mine, then do not — but at least become your own.
Selfhood · Self-Knowledge
Parwaz hai dono ki isi ek faza mein
Kargas ka jahan aur hai, shaheen ka jahan aur
Kargas ka jahan aur hai, shaheen ka jahan aur
Both take flight in this very same sky — yet the vulture's world is one thing, and the falcon's another.
The Falcon · Self-Knowledge