Couplets › Freedom
From Bang-e-Dara · originally composed in Urdu
Aazad mujh ko kar de o qaid karne wale
Main be-zaban hun qaidi tu chhod kar dua le
Main be-zaban hun qaidi tu chhod kar dua le
“Set me free, you who keep me caged; I am a voiceless captive, release me and earn a blessing.”
Romanहिन्दी
आज़ाद मुझ को कर दे ओ क़ैद करने वाले
मैं बे-ज़बाँ हूँ क़ैदी तू छोड़ कर दुआ ले
मैं बे-ज़बाँ हूँ क़ैदी तू छोड़ कर दुआ ले
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
A caged bird makes its plea, and Iqbal turns the cry into a wider statement about freedom. The captive has no power but its appeal to the captor's conscience. Freedom, the verse insists, is the natural condition of a living thing, and to grant it is itself a worthy act.
For You, Today
If you hold any kind of hold over another person, ask whether the cage is really needed. Releasing what you have confined, rather than gripping it, is often the better act.
In the same spirit
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
Jis khet se dehqan ko muyassar nahin rozi
Us khet ke har khosha-e-gandum ko jala do
Us khet ke har khosha-e-gandum ko jala do
The field that does not yield its farmer even his daily bread — burn every ear of wheat in that field.
Justice · Courage