A Yearning of the Creative Self in the Age of Imitation

 بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

 

اَثَرْ کَرَے نَہ کَرَے، سُنْ تُو لَے مِری فَرْیَاد
نَہِیں ہَے دادْ کَا طالِبْ، یَہ بَنْدَۂٔ آزاد

Translation:
Whether it has effect or not—at least listen to my cry.
This free soul is not begging for praise.

Explanation:
Iqbal begins with an appeal—not to be heard for validation, but to simply be listened to. The “بندۂ آزاد” (free man) does not seek applause or judgment. He speaks from conviction, not for reward. This sets the tone: sincerity over spectacle, truth over approval.

یَہ مُشْتِ خَاک، یَہ صَرْصَر، یَہ وُسعَتِ اَفْلاک
کَرَم ہَے یَا کِہ سِتَم، تیری لَذّتِ اِیجاد!

Translation:
This handful of dust, this desert wind, this vastness of the skies—
Is it mercy, or oppression—your thrill of creation?

Explanation:
Iqbal questions the purpose behind the grandeur and violence of creation. The “مُشتِ خاک” (handful of dust, symbolizing man), “صرصر” (tempestuous wind), and the expansive heavens show both vulnerability and magnificence. Iqbal addresses God’s creative impulse—asking whether it is benevolence or a cosmic burden.

 ٹھَہَرْ سَکَا نَہ ہَوَائے چَمَنْ مِیں خَیْمَۂ گُل
یَہی ہَے فَصْلِ بَہاری، یَہی ہَے بَادِ مُراد؟

Translation:
The flower’s tent could not stand in the garden's breeze—
Is this your spring season? Is this your wind of hope?

Explanation:
Here, Iqbal reflects on fleeting beauty and unrealized potential. The flower (representing beauty, ideals, perhaps a new order) fails to thrive even in the supposed spring. The “بادِ مُراد” (wind of desire) is ironic—it’s destructive, not fulfilling. Nature’s symbolism reflects spiritual and civilizational disillusionment.

قُصُورْوَارْ، غَرِیبُ الدِّیَارْ ہُوں، لَیکِنْ
تِرا خَرابَہ، فَرِشْتے نَہ کَرْ سَکَے آبَاد

Translation:
I may be guilty, a stranger to this land—
But even your ruin, the angels could not restore.

Explanation:
Iqbal humbly admits his outsider status (perhaps as a thinker not accepted by society), but points out that even divine agents (angels) have failed to revive the ruin he addresses—possibly referring to Muslim civilization, or spiritual decay. It's a bold juxtaposition of personal humility and critical truth.

مِری جَفا طَلَبِی کُو دُعَائیں دَیتَا ہَے
وُہ دَشْتِ سَادَہ، وُہ تِرا جَہَانِ بے بُنْیَاد

Translation:
My thirst for trial is blessed by
That simple desert—your rootless world.

Explanation:
Iqbal contrasts two realms: the harsh, clear desert (symbolizing spiritual testing and honesty) and the world built on illusions or without foundation. His desire for struggle and truth is affirmed by the former, while the latter—shallow and deceptive—offers nothing of real substance.

خَطَرْ پَسَنْدْ طَبِیعَتْ کُو سَازْگَار نَہِیں
وُہ گُلِسْتَانْ، کِہ جَہَاں گھاتْ مِیں نَہ ہو صَیَّاد

Translation:
A danger-loving nature finds no harmony
In a garden where no hunter lies in wait.

Explanation:
Iqbal again aligns himself with struggle and risk. He prefers a world where there is resistance, where life means challenge. A garden without a hunter is too safe, too dull—he rejects complacent peace that lacks purpose or trial.

مَقَامِ شَوْقْ، تِرَے قُدْسِیوں کے بَسْ کَا نَہِیں
اُنھی کَا کَامْ ہَے یَہ، جِنْ کے حَوْصَلَے ہَیں زِیَاد

Translation:
The station of yearning is beyond your holy ones—
This task belongs to those of greater courage.

Explanation:
Iqbal critiques passive piety. The “قدسی” (the saintly) may be pure, but lack the burning passion or daring spirit to seek transformation. The “مقامِ شوق” (station of longing) belongs to bold souls who risk, strive, and suffer for meaning—not those content with sanctity without struggle.