Couplets › Love
From Bang-e-Dra, 1924 · originally composed in Urdu
hai ik ik par
Mujh ko na aise se kare koi
Mujh ko na aise se kare koi
“A hundred hopes are pinned on every single glance — let no one look at me with such love.”
Romanहिन्दीاردو
उमीदें बंधती है इक इक पर
मुझ को न ऐसे से देखा करे कोई
मुझ को न ऐसे से देखा करे कोई
The couplet in Devanagari — it carries the authenticity of the original, and every Hindi reader can read it.
سو سو امیدیں بندھتی ہے اک اک نگاہ پر
مجھ کو نہ ایسے پیار سے دیکھا کرے کوئی
مجھ کو نہ ایسے پیار سے دیکھا کرے کوئی
The couplet as Iqbal wrote it, in Urdu (Nastaliq).
♪ Hear the coupletA recitation in a synthesized voice.
The Interpretation
This verse holds the quiet weight of being deeply loved. Each affectionate look carries a hundred expectations, and the speaker, half-tender and half-overwhelmed, almost recoils. To be cherished is also to be entrusted with someone's hopes.
For You, Today
When people believe in you, their belief is also a load. Iqbal captures the bittersweet truth that being counted on is both a gift and a responsibility you did not exactly ask for.
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