Couplets › Selfhood
From Bal-e-Jibril (1935) · originally composed in Urdu
Nigah-e-faqr mein shan-e-sikandari kya hai
Khiraj ki jo gada ho wo qaisari kya hai
Khiraj ki jo gada ho wo qaisari kya hai
“In the eyes of a free spirit, what is the splendour of an Alexander? An empire that begs for tribute is no empire at all.”
Romanहिन्दी
निगाह-ए-फ़क़्र में शान-ए-सिकंदरी क्या है
ख़िराज की जो गदा हो वो क़ैसरी क्या है
ख़िराज की जो गदा हो वो क़ैसरी 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 sets the inner wealth of the faqr, the person rich in spirit and free of dependence, against the outward glory of conquerors. A throne propped up by extracted tribute is not real power; it is a kind of begging dressed in a crown. Greatness, for Iqbal, is measured by self-possession, not by the size of what one rules.
For You, Today
Do not be impressed by status that depends on what it can extract from others. The person who needs nothing holds more real power than the one who commands much but owns nothing within.
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
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