ye jo launde hain mere 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 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 →