Couplets › Aspiration
From Bang-e-Dara, 1924 — 'Tulu-e-Islam' · originally composed in Urdu
mein kar de
ke ko kar de
ke ko kar de
“Light the lamp of longing in the heart of the tulip — and make every grain of the garden a martyr to the search.”
Romanहिन्दीاردو
में कर दे
के ज़र्रे ज़र्रे को कर दे
के ज़र्रे ज़र्रे को कर दे
The couplet in Devanagari — it carries the authenticity of the original, and every Hindi reader can read it.
ضمیر لالہ میں روشن چراغ آرزو کر دے
چمن کے ذرے ذرے کو شہید جستجو کر دے
چمن کے ذرے ذرے کو شہید جستجو کر دے
The couplet as Iqbal wrote it, in Urdu (Nastaliq).
♪ Hear the coupletA recitation in a synthesized voice.
The Interpretation
Iqbal prays for desire itself to be kindled everywhere — not in one heart but in every particle of the garden. He wants a whole world set alight with longing and seeking. Aspiration, for Iqbal, is a contagion worth spreading.
For You, Today
Iqbal's wish is not for a single ambitious person but for a whole field of them. If you carry the lamp of longing, his hope is that you light others — that aspiration moves through a group like fire through a garden.
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