Couplets › Restlessness
From Bal-e-Jibril, 1935 · originally composed in Urdu
Khuda tujhe kisi toofan se aashna kar de
Ki tere bahr ki maujon mein iztirab nahin
Ki tere bahr ki maujon mein iztirab nahin
“May God acquaint you with some storm — for the waves of your sea carry no restlessness in them.”
Romanहिन्दी
ख़ुदा तुझे किसी तूफ़ान से आश्ना कर दे
कि तेरे बहर की मौजों में इज़्तिराब नहीं
कि तेरे बहर की मौजों में इज़्तिराब नहीं
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
This is a prayer that sounds like a curse and is in fact a blessing. A calm sea, to Iqbal, is a dead one. He asks that a storm be sent — because the stillness, the absence of restlessness, is the real danger, not the storm.
For You, Today
If your life feels suspiciously calm and you feel quietly flat, Iqbal would not console you — he would pray for weather. A little turbulence is often what a stagnant life is missing.
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
Aata hai yaad mujh ko guzra hua zamana
Wo bagh ki baharen, wo sab ka chahchahana
Wo bagh ki baharen, wo sab ka chahchahana
I remember the time that has passed — those springtimes of the garden, that chorus of every bird singing.
Freedom · Restlessness
Tu shaheen hai parwaz hai kaam tera
Tere saamne aasman aur bhi hain
Tere saamne aasman aur bhi hain
You are a falcon — flight is your work. There are still more skies in front of you.
The Falcon · Aspiration · Restlessness