Couplets › Action
From Bang-e-Dra, 1924 · originally composed in Urdu
hai tu mein
de na jaye
de na jaye
“You have come into the world like a spark — see that this fleeting existence does not slip away from you.”
Romanहिन्दीاردو
आया है तू में देख
दे न जाए देख
दे न जाए देख
The couplet in Devanagari — it carries the authenticity of the original, and every Hindi reader can read it.
آیا ہے تو جہاں میں مثال شرار دیکھ
دم دے نہ جائے ہستیٔ نا پائیدار دیکھ
دم دے نہ جائے ہستیٔ نا پائیدار دیکھ
The couplet as Iqbal wrote it, in Urdu (Nastaliq).
♪ Hear the coupletA recitation in a synthesized voice.
The Interpretation
Iqbal names the human condition with a single image: a spark, brilliant and brief. The warning is not gloomy but urgent — a spark that does nothing simply fades. Knowing existence is short is meant to sharpen attention, not dull it.
For You, Today
The shortness of life is not a reason for despair; it is a reason to burn clearly while you can. Treat your limited time as the very thing that makes each choice matter.
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