Couplets › Self-Knowledge
From Bang-e-Dara, 1924 · originally composed in Urdu
Phool ki patti se kat sakta hai heere ka jigar
Mard-e-nadaan par kalaam-e-narm-o-nazuk be-asar
Mard-e-nadaan par kalaam-e-narm-o-nazuk be-asar
“A diamond's heart can be cut by the petal of a flower — yet on a foolish man, soft and gentle words have no effect.”
Romanहिन्दी
फूल की पत्ती से कट सकता है हीरे का जिगर
मर्द-ए-नादाँ पर कलाम-ए-नर्म-ओ-नाज़ुक बेअसर
मर्द-ए-नादाँ पर कलाम-ए-नर्म-ओ-नाज़ुक बेअसर
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 up a startling contrast. The hardest thing in nature, the diamond, can yield to the softest, a flower's petal. But the closed mind of a fool is harder than diamond — gentleness simply bounces off it.
For You, Today
Gentleness is genuinely powerful — it can open what force cannot. But Iqbal is honest: there are minds it will not reach. Know which you are dealing with before you spend your softness.
In the same spirit
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
Amal se zindagi banti hai jannat bhi jahannum bhi
Ye khaki apni fitrat mein na noori hai na naari hai
Ye khaki apni fitrat mein na noori hai na naari hai
By our deeds we make life a heaven or a hell. This creature of dust is, by nature, neither angel of light nor demon of fire.
Action · Courage
Parwaz hai dono ki isi ek faza mein
Kargas ka jahan aur hai, shaheen ka jahan aur
Kargas ka jahan aur hai, shaheen ka jahan aur
Both take flight in this very same sky — yet the vulture's world is one thing, and the falcon's another.
The Falcon · Self-Knowledge