Couplets › Aspiration
From Bal-e-Jibril, 1935 · originally composed in Urdu
Isi mein kar na ja
Ki tere aur bhi hain
Ki tere aur bhi hain
“Do not stay tangled in only these days and nights — there are other times and other places that are yours.”
इसी में उलझ कर न जा
कि तेरे ज़माँ-ओ- और भी हैं
कि तेरे ज़माँ-ओ- और भी हैं
The couplet in Devanagari — it carries the authenticity of the original, and every Hindi reader can read it.
اسی روز و شب میں الجھ کر نہ رہ جا
کہ تیرے زمان و مکاں اور بھی ہیں
کہ تیرے زمان و مکاں اور بھی ہیں
The couplet as Iqbal wrote it, in Urdu (Nastaliq).
♪ Hear the coupletA recitation in a synthesized voice.
The Interpretation
The grind of one day after another can become the whole horizon. Iqbal lifts your eyes from it. The present routine is not the only time you will live in, nor the only place; do not let the immediate become the entire map.
For You, Today
When the daily cycle starts to feel like the whole of life, Iqbal's correction is gentle but firm: this is one room, not the house. Other times and places are still yours to enter.
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
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
Lab pe aati hai dua ban ke tamanna meri
Zindagi shama ki surat ho khudaya meri
Zindagi shama ki surat ho khudaya meri
My longing rises to my lips as a prayer: O God, may my life be like a candle's flame.
Hope · Aspiration