Couplets › Love
From Bal-e-Jibril, 1935 · originally composed in Urdu
hai ke saath rahe
kabhi kabhi ise bhi de
kabhi kabhi ise bhi de
“It is good that reason stands guard alongside the heart — but now and then, leave the heart on its own.”
Romanहिन्दीاردو
है के साथ रहे
कभी कभी इसे तन्हा भी छोड़ दे
कभी कभी इसे तन्हा भी छोड़ दे
The couplet in Devanagari — it carries the authenticity of the original, and every Hindi reader can read it.
اچھا ہے دل کے ساتھ رہے پاسبان عقل
لیکن کبھی کبھی اسے تنہا بھی چھوڑ دے
لیکن کبھی کبھی اسے تنہا بھی چھوڑ دے
The couplet as Iqbal wrote it, in Urdu (Nastaliq).
♪ Hear the coupletA recitation in a synthesized voice.
The Interpretation
Iqbal does not dismiss reason; he calls it a guard worth keeping. But a guard who never sleeps becomes a jailer. The heart needs unsupervised hours — moments when intuition, love and longing are allowed to act without reason auditing every move.
For You, Today
Analysis has its place, but a life run entirely on cost-benefit logic goes cold. Iqbal's advice is to let your heart off its leash sometimes — some of your truest moves will never survive a spreadsheet.
In the same spirit
Khudi ko kar buland itna ki har taqdeer se pehle
Khuda bande se khud pooche, bata teri raza kya hai
Khuda bande se khud pooche, bata teri raza kya hai
Raise your selfhood so high that, before issuing every decree of destiny, God Himself asks you: tell me, what is your wish?
Selfhood · Courage
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