Couplets › The Falcon
From Zarb-e-Kalim, 1936 — 'Javed Se' · originally composed in Urdu
Ae jaan-e-padar nahin hai mumkin
Shaheen se tadaro ki ghulami
Shaheen se tadaro ki ghulami
“O life of your father, it cannot be — the falcon will never serve the partridge.”
Romanहिन्दी
ऐ जान-ए-पिदर नहीं है मुमकिन
शाहीन से तदरो की ग़ुलामी
शाहीन से तदरो की ग़ुलामी
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 tells his son, with fierce tenderness, that a falcon by nature cannot become the servant of a partridge. The free, high-flying self cannot be made to grovel before the lowly. It is a charge to remember what you are and refuse subjugation.
For You, Today
Some things you simply cannot make yourself do without betraying your nature. Iqbal's word to his son: a falcon does not serve a partridge. Know which one you are, and refuse the servitude that contradicts it.
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
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
Apne mann mein doob kar pa ja suragh-e-zindagi
Tu agar mera nahin banta na ban, apna to ban
Tu agar mera nahin banta na ban, apna to ban
Dive into your own self and find the trace of life. If you will not be mine, then do not — but at least become your own.
Selfhood · Self-Knowledge