Couplets › Freedom
From Bang-e-Dara, 1924 — 'Parinde ki Faryad' · originally composed in Urdu
Aata hai mujh ko guzra hua zamana
Wo ki baharen, wo sab ka
Wo ki baharen, wo sab ka
“I remember the time that has passed — those springtimes of the garden, that chorus of every bird singing.”
Romanहिन्दी
आता है मुझ को गुज़रा हुआ ज़माना
वो की बहारें, वो सब का
वो की बहारें, वो सब का
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
These are the words of a caged bird in Iqbal's poem, aching for the open garden it has lost. It is one of his gentlest meditations on freedom: nothing reveals the worth of liberty like its absence, remembered.
For You, Today
If you feel caged — by a role, a routine, a situation — the longing itself is information. It is telling you, in Iqbal's voice, exactly what your freedom was worth.
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
Nahin tera nasheman qasr-e-sultani ke gumbad par
Tu shaheen hai, basera kar paharon ki chattanon mein
Tu shaheen hai, basera kar paharon ki chattanon mein
Your nest is not on the dome of a royal palace. You are a falcon — make your dwelling on the rocks of the mountains.
The Falcon · Freedom · Courage
Ai tair-e-lahooti us rizq se maut achhi
Jis rizq se aati ho parvaaz mein kotahi
Jis rizq se aati ho parvaaz mein kotahi
O celestial bird, better death than the sustenance that brings any shortfall to your flight.
Freedom · The Falcon