Couplets › Self-Knowledge
From Bal-e-Jibril (1935) · originally composed in Urdu
ho to hai soz-e-sukhan ain-e-hayat
Ho na to marg-e-davam ai
Ho na to marg-e-davam ai
“If the heart is lit within, the fire in one's words is life itself; if it is unlit, those words are a lasting death.”
Romanहिन्दी
हो तो है सोज़-ए-सुख़न ऐन-ए-हयात
हो न तो मर्ग-ए-दवाम ऐ
हो न तो मर्ग-ए-दवाम ऐ
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 ties the worth of speech and expression to the inner state of the speaker. Words that come from a lit, living heart carry warmth and become a form of life. Words from a cold, unlit heart, however clever, are deadening. The same is true of any work: its value depends on whether something real is burning behind it.
For You, Today
Speak and create from a lit heart, or not at all. Words without inner fire do not just fall flat; they drain the room. Tend the flame before you open your mouth.
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
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
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