Couplets › Courage
From Bal-e-Jibril · originally composed in Urdu
Tha zabt bahut mushkil is sail-e-maani ka
Kah Daale qalandar ne asrar-e-kitab aakhir
Kah Daale qalandar ne asrar-e-kitab aakhir
“It was very hard to hold back this flood of meaning; at last the wandering sage spoke out the secrets of the book.”
Romanहिन्दी
था ज़ब्त बहुत मुश्किल इस सैल-ए-मअनी का
कह डाले क़लंदर ने असरार-ए-किताब आख़िर
कह डाले क़लंदर ने असरार-ए-किताब आख़िर
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
Some truths cannot be kept silent forever. Iqbal pictures meaning as a flood that finally overflows the one carrying it. The qalandar, the free-spirited seeker, is compelled by the pressure of what he knows to speak. Honest expression here is not a choice but an overflow.
For You, Today
When something true keeps building inside you, find a way to say it. Truth held under pressure does not stay quiet, and speaking it is healthier than the strain of containing it.
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
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
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