Couplets › Courage
From Bang-e-Dara, 1924 · originally composed in Urdu
mein ki keh di
hun chahta hun
hun chahta hun
“In the crowded gathering I blurted out the secret — I am terribly insolent; I ask for my punishment.”
Romanहिन्दी
भरी में की बात कह दी
बड़ा हूँ चाहता हूँ
बड़ा हूँ चाहता हूँ
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
The lover has spoken the hidden truth out loud, in public, breaking the decorum of the secret. He confesses the offence and even invites the penalty, because some truths are worth the punishment for saying them. The 'insolence' is really courage.
For You, Today
Saying the unsayable thing in a room full of people has a cost, and Iqbal accepts it almost gladly. Sometimes the honest sentence is worth the trouble it buys. Speak the secret; take the consequence.
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