Couplets › Hope
From Bal-e-Jibril, 1935 · originally composed in Urdu
Ye kaenat abhi na-tamam hai shayad
Ki aa rahi hai damadam sada-e-kun-fayakun
Ki aa rahi hai damadam sada-e-kun-fayakun
“This universe is, perhaps, still unfinished — for the call of 'Be, and it is' keeps sounding, moment after moment.”
Romanहिन्दी
ये काएनात अभी ना-तमाम है शायद
कि आ रही है दमादम सदा-ए-कुन-फ़यकूँ
कि आ रही है दमादम सदा-ए-कुन-फ़यकूँ
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 offers a startlingly hopeful picture of reality. Creation is not a closed, finished thing; it is still being made. The creative command goes on resounding, which means the world is open, unsettled, and genuinely capable of becoming something new.
For You, Today
If even the universe is unfinished, then nothing in your life is sealed either. Iqbal's reading of reality leaves the door open: things are still being made, and you are one of the makers.
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
Mohabbat mujhe un jawanon se hai
Sitaron pe jo dalte hain kamand
Sitaron pe jo dalte hain kamand
My love is for those young ones who cast their lasso upon the stars.
Youth · Aspiration
Lab pe aati hai dua ban ke tamanna meri
Zindagi shama ki surat ho khudaya meri
Zindagi shama ki surat ho khudaya meri
My longing rises to my lips as a prayer: O God, may my life be like a candle's flame.
Hope · Aspiration