Couplets › Self-Knowledge
From Bang-e-Dara, 1924 · originally composed in Urdu
apni pe hai
se hota hai mein
se hota hai mein
“For thousands of years the narcissus weeps over its own sightlessness — only with great difficulty is a truly seeing one born in the garden.”
Romanहिन्दीاردو
अपनी पे है
से होता है में
से होता है में
The couplet in Devanagari — it carries the authenticity of the original, and every Hindi reader can read it.
ہزاروں سال نرگس اپنی بے نوری پہ روتی ہے
بڑی مشکل سے ہوتا ہے چمن میں دیدہ ور پیدا
بڑی مشکل سے ہوتا ہے چمن میں دیدہ ور پیدا
The couplet as Iqbal wrote it, in Urdu (Nastaliq).
♪ Hear the coupletA recitation in a synthesized voice.
The Interpretation
The narcissus, for all its beauty, cannot see. Iqbal turns it into an image of how rare real vision is. Beauty is common; insight — the one who actually sees — appears in the garden only once in an age.
For You, Today
Pretty is abundant; perceptive is rare. Iqbal honours the long wait for a person of genuine vision — and quietly asks whether you are willing to do the work of becoming one.
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
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