Couplets › Justice
From Zarb-e-Kalim, 1936 — 'Jamhooriyat' · originally composed in Urdu
Is raaz ko ik mard-e-firangi ne kiya faash
Harchand ki dana ise khola nahin karte
Harchand ki dana ise khola nahin karte
“A man of the West let this secret out — though the wise usually do not disclose it.”
Romanहिन्दी
इस राज़ को इक मर्द-ए-फ़िरंगी ने किया फ़ाश
हरचंद कि दाना इसे खोला नहीं करते
हरचंद कि दाना इसे खोला नहीं करते
The couplet in Devanagari — it carries the authenticity of the original, and every Hindi reader can read it.
The Interpretation
Iqbal sets up the punchline of the next couplet by noting that a European himself blurted out a truth the clever normally keep hidden. The framing is sly: the critique of democracy that follows comes, he says, from the West's own mouth.
For You, Today
Sometimes the sharpest critique of a system comes from inside it, said carelessly. Iqbal flags the moment the quiet part gets spoken aloud. Watch for the insider who lets the secret slip.
In the same spirit
Ho mera kaam ghareebon ki himayat karna
Dard-mandon se zaeefon se mohabbat karna
Dard-mandon se zaeefon se mohabbat karna
Let my work be to defend the poor — to love the suffering and the weak.
Justice · Humility · Love
Jis khet se dehqan ko muyassar nahin rozi
Us khet ke har khosha-e-gandum ko jala do
Us khet ke har khosha-e-gandum ko jala do
The field that does not yield its farmer even his daily bread — burn every ear of wheat in that field.
Justice · Courage
Na samjhoge to mit jaoge ai Hindostan walon
Tumhari dastan tak bhi na hogi dastanon mein
Tumhari dastan tak bhi na hogi dastanon mein
If you will not understand, you will be erased, O people of Hindustan — not even your story will remain among the stories.
Awakening · Courage