Couplets › Leadership
From Bang-e-Dra, 1924 · originally composed in Urdu
ke to sab ko aata hai
to jab hai ki girton ko thaam le
to jab hai ki girton ko thaam le
“Anyone can pour the wine and let people fall — the real worth is when the cup-bearer catches those who are falling.”
Romanहिन्दी
पिला के तो सब को आता है
तो जब है कि गिरतों को थाम ले
तो जब है कि गिरतों को थाम ले
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 turns the familiar tavern image into a lesson on leadership. It takes no skill to intoxicate people and watch them stumble; the cup-bearer who matters is the one who steadies the falling. True authority is measured by who you hold up, not who you bring down.
For You, Today
It is easy to point out where others are slipping. The harder, finer thing — and the real test of anyone who leads — is to be the steady hand that catches them before they hit the ground.
In the same spirit
Ho mere dam se yunhi watan ki zeenat
Jis tarah phool se hoti hai chaman ki zeenat
Jis tarah phool se hoti hai chaman ki zeenat
Let my country be adorned by me, as a garden is adorned by its flowers.
Aspiration · Youth · Action
Ho mera kaam ghareebon ki himayat karna
Dard-mandon se zaeefon se mohabbat karna
Dard-mandon se zaeefon se mohabbat karna
Let my work be to defend the poor — to love the suffering and the weak.
Justice · Humility · Love
Mere Allah burai se bachana mujh ko
Nek jo raah ho us rah pe chalana mujh ko
Nek jo raah ho us rah pe chalana mujh ko
My God, save me from evil; set me on the path that is good.
Humility · Self-Knowledge