Persian · idiom · Poetry, Speech & Art
Aab-e-Zar Se Likhna
आब-ए-ज़र से लिखना
also written: aab e zar se likhna
Meaning
To record something as supremely memorable; to write in gold.
Literally: to write with water of gold
See it in the verse
Aab-e-Zar Se Likhna in Iqbal’s couplets
Yunan-o-Misr-o-Roma sab mit gaye jahan se
Ab tak magar hai baqi naam-o-nishan hamara
Ab tak magar hai baqi naam-o-nishan hamara
Greece, Egypt and Rome have all been erased from the world — yet our name and our mark still remain.
Hope · Unity
Ai aab-e-rud-e-Ganga wo din hai yaad tujh ko
Utra tere kinare jab karwan hamara
Utra tere kinare jab karwan hamara
O waters of the river Ganga, do you remember those days — when our caravan first halted upon your banks?
Unity · Love
Khudi ko na de seem-o-zar ke ewaz
Nahin shola dete sharar ke ewaz
Nahin shola dete sharar ke ewaz
Do not trade away your selfhood for silver and gold — no one hands over a blazing flame in exchange for a mere spark.
Selfhood · Freedom · Courage
Baagh-e-bahisht se mujhe hukm-e-safar diya tha kyun
Kaar-e-jahan daraaz hai ab mera intezaar kar
Kaar-e-jahan daraaz hai ab mera intezaar kar
Why was I given the command to depart the garden of paradise? The work of the world is long now — so wait for me.
Action · Aspiration · Restlessness
Giran-baha hai to hifz-e-khudi se hai warna
Guhar mein aab-e-guhar ke siwa kuchh aur nahin
Guhar mein aab-e-guhar ke siwa kuchh aur nahin
If you are precious, it is from guarding your selfhood; otherwise a pearl is nothing but the lustre of a pearl.
Selfhood · Self-Knowledge · Humility