Couplets › Freedom
From Bal-e-Jibril · originally composed in Urdu
Sultani-e-jamhur ka aata hai zamana
Jo naqsh-e-kuhan tum ko nazar aae miTa do
Jo naqsh-e-kuhan tum ko nazar aae miTa do
“The age of the people's rule is arriving; whatever old patterns you still see, wipe them away.”
Romanहिन्दी
सुल्तानी-ए-जम्हूर का आता है ज़माना
जो नक़्श-ए-कुहन तुम को नज़र आए मिटा दो
जो नक़्श-ए-कुहन तुम को नज़र आए मिटा दो
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 announces a turn toward government by the many rather than the few. He treats the inherited structures of privilege as worn marks to be erased. The verse is a summons to clear the ground so that a more just order can take its place.
For You, Today
When an old arrangement no longer serves the people it governs, do not preserve it out of habit. Some structures have to be cleared away before something fairer can stand.
In the same spirit
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
Ai tair-e-lahooti us rizq se maut achhi
Jis rizq se aati ho parvaaz mein kotahi
Jis rizq se aati ho parvaaz mein kotahi
O celestial bird, better death than the sustenance that brings any shortfall to your flight.
Freedom · The Falcon
Jis khet se dehqan ko muyassar nahin rozi
Us khet ke har khosha-e-gandum ko jala do
Us khet ke har khosha-e-gandum ko jala do
The field that does not yield its farmer even his daily bread — burn every ear of wheat in that field.
Justice · Courage