Couplets › Restlessness
From Bal-e-Jibril, 1935 · originally composed in Urdu
Agar kho gaya ek nasheman to kya
Maqamat-e-aah-o-fughan aur bhi hain
Maqamat-e-aah-o-fughan aur bhi hain
“If one nest is lost, why grieve? There are other stations of sighs and laments still ahead.”
अगर खो गया एक नशेमन तो क्या
मक़ामात-ए-आह-ओ-फ़ुग़ाँ और भी हैं
मक़ामात-ए-आह-ओ-फ़ुग़ाँ और भी हैं
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
Part of the great 'Sitaron se aage' ghazal. Losing one home, one perch, is no catastrophe to Iqbal — there are countless other places to build, to feel, to strive. The restless self does not mourn a single loss; it moves to the next horizon.
For You, Today
Losing one position, one home, one chapter is not the end Iqbal would mourn. There are other places to nest, other arenas to feel deeply. Grieve briefly; the map is larger than the spot you lost.
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
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
Door duniya ka mere dam se andhera ho jaye
Har jagah mere chamakne se ujala ho jaye
Har jagah mere chamakne se ujala ho jaye
May the world's darkness be dispelled by my being; may every place be lit by my shining.
Aspiration · Hope · Youth