By Waseem Barelvi
raat to vaqt ki paband hai dhal jaaegi
dekhna ye hai charaghon ka safar kitna hai
dekhna ye hai charaghon ka safar kitna hai
“Night is bound by time and will surely pass — what remains to be seen is how far the lamps can travel.”
Romanहिन्दीWaseem Barelvi
रात तो वक़्त की पाबंद है ढल जाएगी
देखना ये है चराग़ों का सफ़र कितना है
देखना ये है चराग़ों का सफ़र कितना है
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 verse dispatches the night quickly — it is bound by time and certain to pass — so it can fix attention on the real question: how far the lamps can travel before it does. Hope is not in doubt here; endurance is, and the couplet makes the journey of small lights the true measure of the dark.
For You, Today
Hard times will end on their own schedule — the thing worth asking is how long your own light and effort can hold out.
A widely quoted verse of resilience, prized for shifting the focus from the darkness to the staying power of the lamps.
Themes:HopeAdversity
More from Waseem Barelvi
The heart of this site stays with Iqbal: explore his couplets → Or browse the whole Other Voices shelf →