Couplets › Aspiration
From Bang-e-Dara, 1924 — 'Bachche ki Dua' · originally composed in Urdu
ka mere se ho jaye
Har mere chamakne se ho jaye
Har mere chamakne se ho jaye
“May the world's darkness be dispelled by my being; may every place be lit by my shining.”
Romanहिन्दी
का मेरे से हो जाए
मेरे चमकने से हो जाए
मेरे चमकने से हो जाए
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 child prays not for safety or success but to become a source of light. Iqbal plants the largest ambition — to dispel darkness wherever you are — inside the simplest prayer. The self is imagined as a lamp whose whole purpose is to brighten its surroundings.
For You, Today
A life can be measured by how much dark it clears from the rooms it enters. Ask not what you'll get but what you'll light up. The prayer sets the bar high: everywhere I go, it gets brighter.
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