Couplets › Freedom
From Bal-e-Jibril (1935) · originally composed in Urdu
Khush aa gai hai jahan ko qalandari meri
Wagarna sher mera kya hai shairi kya hai
Wagarna sher mera kya hai shairi kya hai
“The world has warmed to the free, unbound spirit in me; otherwise, what is my verse, what is my poetry?”
Romanहिन्दी
ख़ुश आ गई है जहाँ को क़लंदरी मेरी
वगर्ना शे'र मिरा क्या है शाइ'री क्या है
वगर्ना शे'र मिरा क्या है शाइ'री क्या है
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
Iqbal credits whatever resonance his work has found not to technical craft but to the qalandari, the unowned, fearless freedom, behind it. People respond to the spirit a person carries more than to their polish. The couplet is a humble admission that the living quality, not the surface skill, is what truly reaches others.
For You, Today
What draws people to your work is rarely the polish; it is the freedom and conviction behind it. Cultivate the spirit first, and the craft will carry further than you expect.
In the same spirit
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
Apne mann mein doob kar pa ja suragh-e-zindagi
Tu agar mera nahin banta na ban, apna to ban
Tu agar mera nahin banta na ban, apna to ban
Dive into your own self and find the trace of life. If you will not be mine, then do not — but at least become your own.
Selfhood · Self-Knowledge
Ai tair-e-lahooti us rizq se maut achhi
Jis rizq se aati ho parvaaz mein kotahi
Jis rizq se aati ho parvaaz mein kotahi
O celestial bird, better death than the sustenance that brings any shortfall to your flight.
Freedom · The Falcon