Why should I be destructive and remain reckless of betterment?
Think not of the future, remain occupied in today’s problems?
Should I hear nightingale’s wails, and remain completely silent?
O companion!
Am I some flower so that I may remain silent? The strength of my poetry is encouraging to me Woe be to me[1]!
My remonstrance is against God!
It is true that we are famous in the methods of obeisance But we are relating our story of pain out of
Though a silent orchestra, we are full of
If the wailing comes to lips we are excusable O God!
Listen to the remonstrance also from the faithful Listen to some complaint also from the one accustomed to praise
Though Thy Eternal Essence had existed since eternity The flower existed in the garden but fragrance had not
Justice is a condition,
O Lord of Universal
How could flower’s fragrance spread if zephyr did not exist?
This problem’s solution was the source of satisfaction to
Otherwise was the Holy Prophet’s Ummah insane?
The scene of Thy world was strange before
Stones were adored somewhere, trees were worshipped somewhere The eyes of Man were accustomed to tangible
How could they be amenable to accept the Unseen God? Doth Those know who ever told Thy beads? The strength of the Muslim’s arm completed Thy task!
Seljuks [2] were living here and the Turanas[3] also The Chinese in China and in Iran the Sassanas[4] also The Greeks were also living in the same habitation In the same world were the Jews and the Christians also But who raised the sword in Thy name? Who reclaimed the despoiled world in Thy name?
We alone were the marshals of Thy troops!
We were fighting now on land and now in the
Some times we were calling adhans in the Europe’s
And sometimes in the scorching African deserts We never cared for the grandeur of monarchs We recited the Kalimah[5] under the shade of
If we lived we lived for the calamities of
If we died we died for the grandeur of Thy
We did not wield the sword for our
Did we roam about the world fearlessly for wealth? If our nation had been greedy of worldly wealth Why would we have been idol breakers instead of idol sellers?
Once firmly standing in the battle we were immovable Even lions in the battle against us would be in
We were enraged if some one rebelled against
Not to talk of sword we were fighting against canons We impressed Tawhids’s picture on every heart We conveyed this message even under the
Tell us Thou, by whom was uprooted the gate of Khaibar[7]By whom was conquered the city which was Qaisar’s?[8] By whom were the images of created gods destroyed?
By whom were the armies of infidels slaughtered?
By whom was the fire temple of Iran extinguished?
By whom was the story of Yazdan[9] restored to life?
Which nation did become Thy seeker exclusively?
And became embroiled in wars’ calamities for Thee?
Whose world-conquering sword did world-ruler become?
By whose Takbar did Thy world enlightened become? Through whose fear idols did perpetually alarmed remain? Falling on their faces saying “Huwa Allah O Ahad [10] did remain?
If the time of prayer right during the battle
Hijaz’ nation in prostration facing the Ka’abah
Both Mahmud and Ayaz in the same row stood[6]None as the slave and none as the master stood The slave and the master, the poor and the rich all became one! On arrival in Thy Audience all were reduced to one!
We continuously wandered all over the
We wandered like the wine-cup with Tawhid’s wine We wandered with Thy Message in the mountains, in the deserts And doth Thou know whether we ever returned unsuccessful? What of the deserts!
We did not spare even oceans! We galloped our horses in the dark ocean!
We effaced falsehood from the earth’s surface We freed the human race from bonds of
We filled Thy Ka’bah with our
We put Thy Qur’an to our hearts Still Thou complaineth that we are lacking fealty If we are lacking fealty Thou also art not
There are other ummahs, among them are sinners
There are modest people and arrogant ones
Among them are slothful, indolent as well as clever people There are also hundreds who are disgusted with Thy name Thy Graces descend on the other people’s abodes Lightning strikes only the poor Muslims’
The idols in temples say ‘The Muslims are gone’They are glad that the Ka’bah’s sentinels are
From the world’s stage the éudâ[12] singers are
They, with the Qur’an in their arm pits, are gone Infidelity is mocking, hast Thou some feeling or not? Dost Thou have any regard for Thy own Tawhid or not?
We do not complain that their treasures are
Who are not in possession of even basic social
Outrageous that infidels are rewarded with Houris and
And the poor Muslims are placated with only promise of Houris We have been deprived of the former graces and favors What is the matter, we are deprived of the former honors?
Why is the material wealth rare among Muslims?
Thy omnipotence is boundless and
With Thy Will the desert’s bosom would produce
The desert’s rambler can be facing flood of mirage’s waves Others’ sarcasm, disgrace and poverty is our lot Is abjection the reward for Loving Thee?
Now, this world is the lover of
For us it is only an imaginary
We have departed, others have taken over the
Do not complain now that devoid of Tawhid has become the world We live with the object of spreading Thy fame in the world Can the wine-cup exist if the cup-bearer does not live?
Thy assemblage is gone, and Thy Lovers are also
The night’s sighs and the dawn’s wailings are
They had loved Thee, they are gone with their
They had hardly settled down and they were turned out The Lovers came but with tomorrow’s promise were sent away Now seek them with Thy beautiful face’s lamp[13] every way!
Lailah’s pathos is the same, and Qais’ bosom is the
In the Najd’s wilderness and mountains the deer’s running is the
The Love’s heart is the same, the Beauty’s magic is the
The Ummah of the Holy Prophet is the same,
Thou art the same Why then this displeasure without reason is? Why then this displeasure for Thy Lovers is?
Did we forsake Thee, did we forsake the Arabian Holy Prophet?
Did we adopt idol sculpture, did we idol breaking forsake?
Did we forsake Love, and did we forsake the madness of Love?
Did we forsake the customs of Salman[15] and Uwais of Qur’an? We have the Takbar’s fire suppressed in our hearts! We are living the life of Bilal the Negro!
Granted that Love has lost its former elegance
We may have lost treading the path of Love
We may have lost the restless heart like the compass
And we may have lost the observance of fidelity’s rules also Thou art changing friendship between us and others It is difficult to say but Thou art also unfaithful!
Thou perfected the Deen on the peak of Faran[15]Thou captivated the hearts of thousands in a
Thou consumed the produce of Love with
Thou burned the congregation with Thy face’s fire Why are not our breasts filled with Love’s sparks now? We are the same Lovers, dost Thou not remember now?
The noise of Lovers’ chains in the Najd’s Valley has
Qais has no more remained longing for the litter’s
Those old ambitions, we, as well as the heart have
The house is destroyed as Thou art not present in the house O that happy day when Thou with elegance will come back When Thou unveiled to our congregation will come
Others are sitting at the stream bank in the rose
Listening to the cuckoo’s call with wine-cup in their
In the garden on a side far from the riotous crowd are
Thy Lovers are also patiently wanting for a Hu![16] Again endow Thy moths with Longing for burning themselves Give the command for consumption in Love to the old
The wandering nation is riding again towards
The taste of flight has carried the unfledged
The fragrance of humility is restless in every flower
Just start the music, orchestra is seeking the plectrum Songs are restless to come out of the strings ñër is impatient for burning in the same
Make easy the difficulties of the blessed
Place the poor ant shoulder to shoulder to Sulaiman Make the invaluable produce of Love accessible
Change the idolatrous Muslims of India into Muslims again A stream of blood drips from the frustrations mine Wailing palpitates in the wounded breast of mine!
The rose’ fragrance took garden’s secret outside the
Outrageous that flowers themselves are informers against the
The spring is over, broken is the orchestra of the
Flown away from branches are the songsters of the
Only a nightingale is left which is singing
In its breast overflows the flood of songs still Turtle-doves from the juniper’s branches are gone also Flower petals dropping from the flower are scattered
The garden’s old beautiful walk-ways are gone
The branches became bare of the cover of leaves also But his nature remained free of the season’s restrictions Would somebody in the garden understand his complaint!!
There is no pleasure in dying and no taste in living
If there is any pleasure it in bearing this affliction
Many a virtue is restless in my mirror!
Many an effulgence is fluttering in my breast! But there is none in this garden to see them There are no poppies with Love’s stain on their breasts [18]May hearts open up with the song of this lonely
May the sleeping hearts wake up with this very
May the hearts come to life again with a new
May the hearts be thirsty again for this same old
My alembic may be from `Ajam, but my wine is from
The song may be Indian but my tune is from
Explanatory Notes1. “Dust in the mouth”- This is the expression used in the original poem.
This expression is used as a curse in Urdu and is pronounced when someone makes an exaggerated statement or request.2.
Seljuks- This was a Turkish tribe which inhabited Central Asia.
Later they accepted Islam.3.
Teranas- People inhabiting the tract north of the Oxus River.4.
Sassanids- This was a tribe inhabiting Persia.
They ruled over a large empire east of the Byzantine Empire across the Euphrates River (ca. 226-641).
They were followers of Zoroaster and worshipped fire.
They were defeated by the Muslims in 641 during the time of Caliph Omar ibn Khattab.5.
Kalimah-The Muslim creed of “La Ilaha Ill Allah Muhammed Ar Rasullillah,” (There is no deity except God and Mohammed [Peace be upon him] is His Prophet).6.
This alludes to Sultan Mahmud of Ghazna and his very favorite slave,
Ayaz Ek hi saf mein khade Mahmud O
Na koi Banda raha na koi Banda
This is the original urdu of the couplet.
This couplet is often quoted even today.
In Islam every man whatever his situation in life is a brother in faith.
Nothing shows this more strongly then when men stand in a row to offer prayers.
All are equal in the eyes of God be it Mahmud the Sultan or Ayaz the slave.7.
Khaibar- This was a stronghold of Jews in Hejaz, where they consolidated themselves after their expulsion from Madinah Munawwarah (presently Medina in Saudi Arabia) (625).
Khaibar had six forts of which Qames was the strongest.
It was attacked by the Holy Prophet in ca. 630. after the jews broke their treaty with the muslims.
The gate of the fort of Qames was broken by Ali Ibn Abi Talib which is a very famous act of bravery in Islamic history.8.
City of Qaisar- Allusion to Constantinople9.
Yazdan- This is the god of Virtue and Good in the Zoroastrian religion as opposed to the god of Evil and Sin represented by Ahirman.
The word is also used in Persian and Urdu for God, as is done here.10.
Allusion to the Holy Qur’an11.
Allusion to the achievements of Khair-al-Din Barbarasah (1474-1546.
This particular verse alludes to the expedition of Barbarasah Brothers (Arouj and Khair-al-Dan Barbarasah) in north-west Africa for expelling the Spaniards from those Muslim lands and establishing the suzerainty of the Islamic Ottoman Caliphate.
About 1512 they conquered up to the north-western sea coast and in their zeal drove their horses to some distance in the Atlantic Ocean, saying that if the land of God extended beyond the African coast they would conquer it also in His name.12.
Hudâ- Songs which camel drivers sing when the caravan is marching.13.
The expression “searching something with a lamp in hand” is used in Urdu to search for something almost non-existent.
The intensity of the search as well as a hint of taunt is added by Iqbal by including the part of the “lamp of the Beautiful Face of God”.14.
This is a pun on the word “harja’ used in the text.
It means omni-present as well as a person who is not restricted to one person in love and fidelity.15.
Peak of Faran- Faran is the mountain on which the Cave of Hira is located.
It was while The Holy Prophet was meditating in the Cave of Hira as was his usual habit that God sent the Arch Angel Gabriel to him with the Message.
This was the first revelation of the Holy Quran the chapter that is called Iqra (Read).16.
Hu- This is an abbreviation for ‘huva’ which means ‘He’ and is used for God.
Here it is used as part of the expression ‘Allh Hu’ which means ‘Only God has real Existence’ and is used in TaÅawwuf’s spiritual exercises.17.
In the end of the poem Iqbal is referring to himself and his book,
Bang-i-Dara.18.
The poppy flower has a black stain at the bottom of its corolla.
This is poetically referred to as the mark of Love of God.
