ham ko le jaye
yun to kuchh ke hi ham
ka ji wo ki le jaye
“Let whoever wishes carry a blessing away from us mendicants — who knows where the wind will carry us tomorrow. Truly, we have little that is worth the giving — and yet, let whoever wishes carry away from us the art of how to live.”
जाने हमको ले जाये
यूँ तो कुछ देने के ही हम
जिसका जी चाहे वो जीने की ले जाये
The verse in Devanagari — it carries the authenticity of the original, and every Hindi reader can read it.
The generosity of someone who owns nothing and knows it. A faqir cannot promise to be here tomorrow, so he gives the only things that cost nothing and outlast him — a blessing, and the example of a way of living. The humility is real; so is the quiet confidence that a life, lived well, is itself a gift.
You do not need wealth to leave something behind. A blessing freely given and a manner of living worth copying are inheritances anyone can hand on — and they travel further than money does.
The heart of this site stays with Iqbal: explore his couplets → Or browse the whole Other Voices shelf →