ai ki phir koi
“The cry of the midnight again brought me its message: pause, traveller, for perhaps another hard pass has arrived.”
थम ऐ कि फिर कोई आया
The couplet in Devanagari — it carries the authenticity of the original, and every Hindi reader can read it.
تھم اے رہ رو کہ شاید پھر کوئی مشکل مقام آیا
The couplet as Iqbal wrote it, in Urdu (Nastaliq).
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.
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.
Khuda bande se khud pooche, bata teri raza kya hai
Tu shaheen hai, basera kar paharon ki chattanon mein
Ye khaki apni fitrat mein na noori hai na naari hai