Couplets › Love
From Bang-e-Dara, 1924 — 'Jawab-e-Shikwa' · originally composed in Urdu
se jo nikalti hai rakhti hai
Par nahin taaqat-e-parvaaz magar rakhti hai
Par nahin taaqat-e-parvaaz magar rakhti hai
“What comes from the heart carries power; it has no wings, and yet it has the strength to fly.”
Romanहिन्दी
से जो बात निकलती है रखती है
पर नहीं ताक़त-ए-परवाज़ मगर रखती है
पर नहीं ताक़त-ए-परवाज़ मगर रखती है
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
God's reply to the complaint begins by honouring it: words that rise from the heart have effect. Wingless, they still soar — sincerity gives them a flight that mere rhetoric cannot. It is Iqbal's defence of heartfelt speech, placed in the divine voice.
For You, Today
Polished words without heart fall flat; words torn from real feeling travel further than any technique. Iqbal says sincerity is its own pair of wings. Speak from the heart and it carries.
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
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
Zindagi ho meri parwane ki surat ya-rab
Ilm ki shama se ho mujh ko mohabbat ya-rab
Ilm ki shama se ho mujh ko mohabbat ya-rab
Let my life be like the moth's, O Lord; let me love the lamp of knowledge.
Love · Aspiration · Youth