Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. mohammed iqbal (1877-1938) is one of the greatest, with his literary compositions, both in urdu and in faarsi. He went through many phases in his thinking and writing – starting with an inclusive, liberal stance to a reactionary, hubristic position. Sprinkled all over are self-reliance/Khudi, sufiyaana and socialist thoughts. This was composed during the lifetime of gandhi. It is linked to ‘gandhi Khiraaj’ on the ‘Theme’ page.
1
gandhi se ek roz ye kahte the maalvi¹
kamzor ki kamand² hai duniya meN na-rasaa³    1.madan mohan maalviya 2.rope, noose, gauntlet, challenge 3.cannot reach, ineffective
One day madan mohan maalviya said to gandhi – a gauntlent thrown by the weak to challenge the powerful is ineffective in reaching its goal.
2
naazuk¹ ye saltanat² sif’at³-e barg-e-gul⁴ nahiN
le jaaye gulsitaaN⁵ se uRa kar jise sabaa⁶     1.delicate, light 2.regime 3.of the same nature as, like 4.rose petal 5.garden 6.breeze
This regime (the British colonizers) is not delicate like a rose petal that it can be blown away by the breeze.
3
pis¹ kar milega gard²-e rah³-e rozgaar⁴ meN
daana⁵ jo aasiya⁶ se hua quvvat-aazmaa⁷    1.ground up 2.dust 3.path 4.daily, every day 5.seed 6.millstone, grindstone 7.trial of strength/power
The seed that challenges the millstone to a contest ends up getting ground and scattered with the dust of the daily pathway.
4
bola ye baat sun ke kamaal¹-e veqaar² se
vo mard³-e poKhta-kaar⁴, haq-andesh⁵ o baa-safaa⁶    1.perfect skill/ability 2.dignity 3.brave 4.of mature action 5.truth discerning 6.pure, truthful
That mature, truth discerning, brave man upon hearing this, replied with the perfection of his dignity… (continued in the next she’r) …
5
Khaara¹ hariif²-e sa’ee³-e za’eefaaN⁴ na mii-shuvad⁵
sad-koocha⁶ ast⁷ dar⁸ bun-e-dandaaN⁹ Khalaal¹⁰ raa¹¹     1.granite 2.rival, equal 3.effort 4.weak, lowly, small 5.cannot become 6.hundred lanes/paths/ways 7.are 8.in 9.roots of the teeth 10.spaces, gaps 11.of
… granite cannot become a rival/equal of the effort of the small and vulnerable. There are a hundred pathways through the spaces between the roots of the granite teeth.