By Faiz Ahmed Faiz
ham parvarish-e-lauh-o-qalam karte rahenge
jo dil pe guzarti hai raqam karte rahenge
jo dil pe guzarti hai raqam karte rahenge
“We will go on tending the tablet and the pen — we will go on writing down whatever the heart endures.”
Romanहिन्दीFaiz Ahmed Faiz
हम परवरिश-ए-लौह-ओ-क़लम करते रहेंगे
जो दिल पे गुज़रती है रक़म करते रहेंगे
जो दिल पे गुज़रती है रक़म करते रहेंगे
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 couplet is the poet's vow of vocation — to keep tending the tablet and the pen no matter what. Writing becomes the faithful recording of whatever the heart undergoes, a duty rather than a choice. It declares poetry as a form of witness that does not stop, whatever the cost.
For You, Today
Whatever you are given to do well, keep doing it — the steady act of bearing witness is itself a kind of resistance.
A famous declaration of poetic commitment, standing as Faiz's pledge to never lay down the pen.
Themes:DefianceCourage
More from Faiz Ahmed Faiz
The heart of this site stays with Iqbal: explore his couplets → Or browse the whole Other Voices shelf →