Couplets › Self-Knowledge
From Bang-e-Dara, 1924 · originally composed in Urdu
Hazaron saal nargis apni be-noori pe roti hai
Badi mushkil se hota hai chaman mein deedavar paida
Badi mushkil se hota hai chaman mein deedavar paida
“For thousands of years the narcissus weeps over its own sightlessness — only with great difficulty is a truly seeing one born in the garden.”
Romanहिन्दी
हज़ारों साल नर्गिस अपनी बेनूरी पे रोती है
बड़ी मुश्किल से होता है चमन में दीदावर पैदा
बड़ी मुश्किल से होता है चमन में दीदावर पैदा
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
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