Couplets › Awakening
From Bal-e-Jibril, 1935 · originally composed in Urdu
Khol aankh, zameen dekh, falak dekh, fiza dekh
Mashriq se ubharte hue suraj ko zara dekh
Mashriq se ubharte hue suraj ko zara dekh
“Open your eyes — look at the earth, the sky, the open air; just look at the sun rising in the east.”
Romanहिन्दी
खोल आँख, ज़मीन देख, फ़लक देख, फ़िज़ा देख
मशरिक़ से उभरते हुए सूरज को ज़रा देख
मशरिक़ से उभरते हुए सूरज को ज़रा देख
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
An invitation, and a command. Iqbal asks for nothing but attention — open your eyes and actually see the world, the dawn, the day arriving. The awakening he wants begins with the simple, radical act of looking.
For You, Today
Awakening does not begin with a grand plan. It begins with attention — actually seeing the day you are in. Open your eyes first; the rest follows.
In the same spirit
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
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
Nahin hai naumeed Iqbal apni kisht-e-veeran se
Zara nam ho to ye mitti badi zarkhez hai saqi
Zara nam ho to ye mitti badi zarkhez hai saqi
Iqbal is not without hope, even from his barren field — let there be a little moisture, cupbearer, and this soil is wonderfully fertile.
Hope · Aspiration