By Krishna Bihari 'Noor'
aaina ye to batata hai ki main kya hun magar
aaina is pe hai khamosh ki kya hai mujh mein
aaina is pe hai khamosh ki kya hai mujh mein
“The mirror tells me what I am — but the mirror stays silent on what lies within me.”
Romanहिन्दीKrishna Bihari 'Noor'
आइना ये तो बताता है कि मैं क्या हूँ मगर
आइना इस पे है ख़ामोश कि क्या है मुझ में
आइना इस पे है ख़ामोश कि क्या है मुझ में
The verse 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
The mirror is allowed its honesty about the surface — it will tell you what you are — but the poet draws a sharp line at the edge of its power. What lies within stays beyond reflection, and the mirror's silence on that question becomes the couplet's real subject.
For You, Today
Do not mistake how you appear for who you are — the inner self is something no surface can report back to you.
The verse belongs to Noor's celebrated run of mirror couplets, each probing the gap between seeming and being.
Themes:The SelfWisdom
More from Krishna Bihari 'Noor'
The heart of this site stays with Iqbal: explore his couplets → Or browse the whole Other Voices shelf →