Couplets › Courage
From Bal-e-Jibril, 1935 · originally composed in Urdu
ko nahin
Wo ki mein na ho
Wo ki mein na ho
“A nature that loves danger finds no comfort in a garden where no hunter lies in wait.”
Romanहिन्दीاردو
तबीअत को नहीं
वो गुल्सिताँ कि में न हो
वो गुल्सिताँ कि में न हो
The couplet in Devanagari — it carries the authenticity of the original, and every Hindi reader can read it.
خطر پسند طبیعت کو سازگار نہیں
وہ گلستاں کہ جہاں گھات میں نہ ہو صیاد
وہ گلستاں کہ جہاں گھات میں نہ ہو صیاد
The couplet as Iqbal wrote it, in Urdu (Nastaliq).
♪ Hear the coupletA recitation in a synthesized voice.
The Interpretation
Iqbal describes a temperament that needs risk the way others need rest. For such a spirit, a perfectly safe garden — one with no hunter, no threat — is not paradise but boredom. The presence of danger is what makes a place feel alive to them.
For You, Today
If safety leaves you restless rather than relieved, that is not a flaw to fix. Iqbal recognises the danger-loving temperament and treats its need for challenge as simply its nature.
In the same spirit
Khudi ko kar buland itna ki har taqdeer se pehle
Khuda bande se khud pooche, bata teri raza kya hai
Khuda bande se khud pooche, bata teri raza kya hai
Raise your selfhood so high that, before issuing every decree of destiny, God Himself asks you: tell me, what is your wish?
Selfhood · Courage
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
Nahin tera nasheman qasr-e-sultani ke gumbad par
Tu shaheen hai, basera kar paharon ki chattanon mein
Tu shaheen hai, basera kar paharon ki chattanon mein
Your nest is not on the dome of a royal palace. You are a falcon — make your dwelling on the rocks of the mountains.
The Falcon · Freedom · Courage