Couplets › Youth
Originally composed in Urdu
Haya nahin hai zamane ki aankh mein baaqi
Khuda kare ki jawani teri rahe be-daagh
Khuda kare ki jawani teri rahe be-daagh
“No sense of shame is left in the eye of the age; may God keep your youth unstained.”
Romanहिन्दी
हया नहीं है ज़माने की आँख में बाक़ी
ख़ुदा करे कि जवानी तिरी रहे बे-दाग़
ख़ुदा करे कि जवानी तिरी रहे बे-दाग़
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
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