Couplets › Courage
From Bang-e-Dra, 1924 · originally composed in Urdu
Milega manzil-e-maqsud ka usi ko suragh
Andheri shab mein hai cheete ki aankh jis ka charagh
Andheri shab mein hai cheete ki aankh jis ka charagh
“Only that traveller finds the trace of the intended destination whose lamp, in the dark night, is the eye of a leopard.”
Romanहिन्दी
मिलेगा मंज़िल-ए-मक़्सूद का उसी को सुराग़
अँधेरी शब में है चीते की आँख जिस का चराग़
अँधेरी शब में है चीते की आँख जिस का चराग़
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 pairs purpose with a particular kind of seeing. In darkness, ordinary lamps fail; what guides you is an inward sharpness, fierce and alert like a leopard's eye. The destination is reached not by waiting for the night to lift, but by becoming the kind of seer who can move through it.
For You, Today
When the way ahead is unclear, you cannot wait for conditions to brighten — you have to develop the inner alertness that finds the path in the dark. Cultivate the leopard's eye: focus, instinct, and the nerve to keep moving.
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