Couplets › Love
From Bal-e-Jibril, 1935 · originally composed in Urdu
Ye o hain ke
Wo ke liye hai ye ke liye
Wo ke liye hai ye ke liye
“Both intellect and heart are sparks of the flame of love — one is meant for thorns and straw, the other for a whole reed-bed.”
Romanहिन्दीاردو
ये ओ हैं के
वो के लिए है ये नीस्ताँ के लिए
वो के लिए है ये नीस्ताँ के लिए
The couplet in Devanagari — it carries the authenticity of the original, and every Hindi reader can read it.
یہ عقل و دل ہیں شرر شعلۂ محبت کے
وہ خار و خس کے لیے ہے یہ نیستاں کے لیے
وہ خار و خس کے لیے ہے یہ نیستاں کے لیے
The couplet as Iqbal wrote it, in Urdu (Nastaliq).
♪ Hear the coupletA recitation in a synthesized voice.
The Interpretation
Iqbal does not pit reason against the heart; he traces both to a single source — love. But he ranks their reach. The intellect's spark catches small, scattered things; the heart's spark can set a whole reed-bed ablaze. Both are needed, yet the heart is the larger fire.
For You, Today
Analysis solves the problem in front of you; conviction can move a whole field. Use your mind for the thorns and straw, but know that the bigger transformations are lit by what you love.
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 mere 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