Couplets › Hope
From Bal-e-Jibril, 1935 · originally composed in Urdu
Nahin hai Iqbal apni se
ho to ye hai
ho to ye hai
“Iqbal is not without hope, even from his barren field — let there be a little moisture, cupbearer, and this soil is wonderfully fertile.”
Romanहिन्दीاردو
नहीं है इक़बाल अपनी से
हो तो ये है
हो तो ये है
The couplet in Devanagari — it carries the authenticity of the original, and every Hindi reader can read it.
نہیں ہے ناامید اقبالؔ اپنی کشت ویراں سے
ذرا نم ہو تو یہ مٹی بہت زرخیز ہے ساقی
ذرا نم ہو تو یہ مٹی بہت زرخیز ہے ساقی
The couplet as Iqbal wrote it, in Urdu (Nastaliq).
♪ Hear the coupletA recitation in a synthesized voice.
The Interpretation
Iqbal looks at a field that appears dead and refuses despair. The soil is not barren — it is dormant. All it lacks is a little moisture, a little grace, a little tending. Potential is rarely absent; it is usually just unwatered.
For You, Today
Before you write off a situation — a team, a relationship, your own stalled effort — Iqbal asks whether it is truly barren, or simply dry. Most dead ground only needs water.
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
Mohabbat mujhe un jawanon se hai
Sitaron pe jo dalte hain kamand
Sitaron pe jo dalte hain kamand
My love is for those young ones who cast their lasso upon the stars.
Youth · Aspiration
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