Couplets › Hope
From Bal-e-Jibril · originally composed in Urdu
Aflaak se aata hai naalon ka javaab aakhir
Karte hain khitaab aakhir uThte hain hijaab aakhir
Karte hain khitaab aakhir uThte hain hijaab aakhir
“At last the skies answer the cries that rise to them; at last the veils lift and the silence breaks into speech.”
Romanहिन्दी
अफ़लाक से आता है नालों का जवाब आख़िर
करते हैं ख़िताब आख़िर उठते हैं हिजाब आख़िर
करते हैं ख़िताब आख़िर उठते हैं हिजाब आख़िर
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 insists that earnest, sustained effort is never wasted. The cry that seems to vanish into an empty sky is in fact heard, and the obstacles that look permanent eventually give way. This is the opposite of fatalism: persistence is itself a force that bends the world.
For You, Today
When your work feels like shouting into a void, hold the line. Replies come late, not never, and the barrier that blocks you today is rarely as fixed as it looks.
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