ye jo launde hain mere paanv dabane lag jaayen
“If I were to tell the tales of my youth, these young lads would start pressing my feet in awe.”
ये जो लौंडे हैं मिरे पाँव दबाने लग जाएँ
The verse in Devanagari — it carries the authenticity of the original, and every Hindi reader can read it.
The couplet is pure mischief — the speaker boasts that his youthful exploits, if told, would leave young men pressing his feet in awe. Foot-pressing, a gesture of reverence to elders, is borrowed here as a punchline. The humour comes from the wink: we never hear the tales, only the swagger of the man who claims them.
A well-placed bit of swagger about your past can be charming — just remember the laugh lands best when you keep the tales to yourself.
The heart of this site stays with Iqbal: explore his couplets → Or browse the whole Other Voices shelf →