Couplets › Selfhood
From Bal-e-Jibril · originally composed in Urdu
Har ne ko diya
Tu hi nahin
Tu hi nahin
“Every pearl has broken open its shell; only you are unwilling to come forth.”
Romanहिन्दीاردو
हर ने को तोड़ दिया
तू ही नहीं
तू ही नहीं
The couplet in Devanagari — it carries the authenticity of the original, and every Hindi reader can read it.
ہر گہر نے صدف کو توڑ دیا
تو ہی آمادۂ ظہور نہیں
تو ہی آمادۂ ظہور نہیں
The couplet as Iqbal wrote it, in Urdu (Nastaliq).
♪ Hear the coupletA recitation in a synthesized voice.
The Interpretation
The pearl must break the shell that formed it in order to be seen. Iqbal turns this into a challenge: everything in nature steps into the open and reveals what it is, while the human being hesitates inside a protective shell. Hiding your worth is a refusal to fully exist.
For You, Today
The shell that once protected you can become the thing that hides you. At some point you have to break it open, show your work, and let what you have become be seen.
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
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
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