Couplets › The Falcon
From Bal-e-Jibril (1935) · originally composed in Urdu
kar hai ye o mein
Ki ke liye hai
Ki ke liye hai
“It makes its living among mountains and wilderness, for to the falcon the building of a comfortable nest is a disgrace.”
Romanहिन्दीاردو
कर लेता है ये ओ बयाबाँ में
कि शाहीं के लिए है
कि शाहीं के लिए है
The couplet in Devanagari — it carries the authenticity of the original, and every Hindi reader can read it.
گزر اوقات کر لیتا ہے یہ کوہ و بیاباں میں
کہ شاہیں کے لیے ذلت ہے کار آشیاں بندی
کہ شاہیں کے لیے ذلت ہے کار آشیاں بندی
The couplet as Iqbal wrote it, in Urdu (Nastaliq).
♪ Hear the coupletA recitation in a synthesized voice.
The Interpretation
Iqbal's falcon is his image of the free, self-reliant soul. It survives on bare crags and open wilderness rather than nest in soft comfort, because settling into a cosy home would betray its nature. The couplet praises a life of hardship freely chosen over ease that would dull and domesticate the spirit.
For You, Today
Comfort can quietly clip your wings. If you have a falcon's temperament, choose the harder, freer ground over the soft nest; the difficulty is what keeps you sharp.
In the same spirit
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
Ai tair-e-lahooti us rizq se maut achhi
Jis rizq se aati ho parvaaz mein kotahi
Jis rizq se aati ho parvaaz mein kotahi
O celestial bird, better death than the sustenance that brings any shortfall to your flight.
Freedom · The Falcon
Parwaz hai dono ki isi ek faza mein
Kargas ka jahan aur hai, shaheen ka jahan aur
Kargas ka jahan aur hai, shaheen ka jahan aur
Both take flight in this very same sky — yet the vulture's world is one thing, and the falcon's another.
The Falcon · Self-Knowledge