Couplets › Awakening
Originally composed in Urdu
Aankh jo kuchh dekhti hai lab pe aa sakta nahin
Mahv-e-hairat hoon ki duniya kya se kya ho jaegi
Mahv-e-hairat hoon ki duniya kya se kya ho jaegi
“What the eye sees cannot be brought to the lips; I am lost in wonder at what this world is about to become.”
Romanहिन्दी
आँख जो कुछ देखती है लब पे आ सकता नहीं
महव-ए-हैरत हूँ कि दुनिया क्या से क्या हो जाएगी
महव-ए-हैरत हूँ कि दुनिया क्या से क्या हो जाएगी
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 stands at the edge of a coming change so large that words fail him. He has glimpsed where the world is heading and finds the vision beyond ordinary speech. The couplet captures the particular awe of seeing transformation arrive before others have noticed it; the inner sight runs ahead of any language to describe it.
For You, Today
When you sense a great shift coming and cannot yet put it into words, that is not confusion, it is foresight outrunning language. Trust the perception, keep watching closely, and the words will catch up.
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
Mohabbat mujhe un jawanon se hai
Sitaron pe jo dalte hain kamand
Sitaron pe jo dalte hain kamand
My love is for those young ones who cast their lasso upon the stars.
Youth · Aspiration
Lab pe aati hai dua ban ke tamanna meri
Zindagi shama ki surat ho khudaya meri
Zindagi shama ki surat ho khudaya meri
My longing rises to my lips as a prayer: O God, may my life be like a candle's flame.
Hope · Aspiration