Couplets › Youth
Originally composed in Urdu
nahin hai ki mein
kare ki teri rahe
kare ki teri rahe
“No sense of shame is left in the eye of the age; may God keep your youth unstained.”
Romanहिन्दी
नहीं है ज़माने की में
करे कि तिरी रहे
करे कि तिरी रहे
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
Iqbal speaks as an elder watching the times coarsen, and his response is not a lecture but a blessing for the young. He acknowledges that the surrounding world has lost its restraint, then wishes that a young person might still keep their character clean within it. The couplet treats integrity in youth as something precious and worth guarding deliberately.
For You, Today
When the culture around you is careless, that is not permission to be careless too. Guarding your own integrity is a deliberate act; let an honest character be the thing the times cannot stain.
In the same spirit
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
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
Door duniya ka mere dam se andhera ho jaye
Har jagah mere chamakne se ujala ho jaye
Har jagah mere chamakne se ujala ho jaye
May the world's darkness be dispelled by my being; may every place be lit by my shining.
Aspiration · Hope · Youth