Couplets › Adversity
From Bal-e-Jibril (1935) · originally composed in Urdu
Mujhe aah-o-fughan-e-nim-shab ka phir payam aaya
Tham ai rah-rau ki shayad phir koi mushkil maqam aaya
Tham ai rah-rau ki shayad phir koi mushkil maqam aaya
“The cry of the midnight again brought me its message: pause, traveller, for perhaps another hard pass has arrived.”
Romanहिन्दी
मुझे आह-ओ-फ़ुग़ान-ए-नीम-शब का फिर पयाम आया
थम ऐ रह-रौ कि शायद फिर कोई मुश्किल मक़ाम आया
थम ऐ रह-रौ कि शायद फिर कोई मुश्किल मक़ाम आया
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 reads the restless ache of the night as a signal, not a torment. The traveller is told to pause because difficulty often announces itself before it is fully visible. Hardship, in this reading, is part of the road's design; the wise traveller heeds the warning and steadies themselves rather than being caught off guard.
For You, Today
When unease stirs in you for no obvious reason, treat it as a signal. A hard stretch may be ahead. Pause, gather yourself, and meet it ready rather than surprised.
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
Amal se zindagi banti hai jannat bhi jahannum bhi
Ye khaki apni fitrat mein na noori hai na naari hai
Ye khaki apni fitrat mein na noori hai na naari hai
By our deeds we make life a heaven or a hell. This creature of dust is, by nature, neither angel of light nor demon of fire.
Action · Courage