Couplets › Restlessness
From Bal-e-Jibril (1935) · originally composed in Urdu
Sama sakta nahin pahna-e-fitrat mein mera sauda
Ghalat tha ai junun shayad tera andaza-e-sahra
Ghalat tha ai junun shayad tera andaza-e-sahra
“My passion cannot be contained even in the vastness of nature; O madness, perhaps your measure of the desert was wrong.”
Romanहिन्दी
समा सकता नहीं पहना-ए-फ़ितरत में मिरा सौदा
ग़लत था ऐ जुनूँ शायद तिरा अंदाज़ा-ए-सहरा
ग़लत था ऐ जुनूँ शायद तिरा अंदाज़ा-ए-सहरा
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 makes a startling claim for the human spirit. The lover's restless passion is so large that the whole open desert, the symbol of boundless freedom, is too small to hold it. The self, once awakened, outgrows every space the world offers.
For You, Today
Do not assume your ceiling is set by your surroundings. The desire to grow, once it is real, is larger than any room you are given. If a space feels too small, the answer is to expand, not to shrink.
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
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