Persian · noun · Nature & the Garden
Shabpara
शबपरा
said shab-PA-raa
also written: shab-para, bat
Meaning
The bat; a creature of night blind to the sun, a figure for those who cannot bear the light of truth.
Literally: night-flyer
See it in the verse
Shabpara in Iqbal’s couplets
Andaz-e-bayan garche bahut shokh nahin hai
Shayad ki utar jaye tere dil mein meri baat
Shayad ki utar jaye tere dil mein meri baat
Though my manner of saying it is not especially dazzling — perhaps, even so, my words may sink into your heart.
Humility · Love
Isi roz-o-shab mein ulajh kar na rah ja
Ki tere zaman-o-makan aur bhi hain
Ki tere zaman-o-makan aur bhi hain
Do not stay tangled in only these days and nights — there are other times and other places that are yours.
Aspiration · Hope · Restlessness
Kuch baat hai ki hasti mitti nahin hamari
Sadiyon raha hai dushman daur-e-zaman hamara
Sadiyon raha hai dushman daur-e-zaman hamara
There is something about us that refuses to be erased — for centuries the turning of the age itself has been our enemy.
Hope · Adversity · Self-Knowledge
Silsila-e-roz-o-shab, naqsh-gar-e-haadsat
Silsila-e-roz-o-shab, asl-e-hayat-o-mamat
Silsila-e-roz-o-shab, asl-e-hayat-o-mamat
The chain of day and night is the sculptor of all events; the chain of day and night is the root of life and of death.
Action · Self-Knowledge
Dil se jo baat nikalti hai asar rakhti hai
Par nahin, taqat-e-parvaaz magar rakhti hai
Par nahin, taqat-e-parvaaz magar rakhti hai
Words that come straight from the heart carry power — they have no wings, and yet they have the strength of flight.
Love · Humility · Action
Milega manzil-e-maqsud ka usi ko suragh
Andheri shab mein hai cheete ki aankh jis ka charagh
Andheri shab mein hai cheete ki aankh jis ka charagh
Only that traveller finds the trace of the intended destination whose lamp, in the dark night, is the eye of a leopard.
Courage · Aspiration · Self-Knowledge