The national poet of Pakistan, Muhammed Iqbal (1887-1938) is best known for his Persian and Urdu poetry, which with its deep philosophical insights, has captured the minds of many readers. This translation presents in English a representative selection of his works.
When the world-illuming sun rushed upon Night like a brigand, My weeping bedewed the face of the rose. My tears washed away sleep from the eye of the narcissus, My passion wakened the grass and made it grow. The Gardener taught me to sing with power, He sowed a verse and reaped a sword. In the soil he planted only the seed of my tears And wove my lament with the garden, as warp and woof. Tho' I am but a mote, the radiant sun is mine: Within my bosom are a hundred dawns.
Sir Muhammad Iqbal (1877-1938) was a Muslim poet, philosopher and politician born in Sialkot, British India (now in Pakistan), whose poetry in Urdu and Persian is considered to be among the greatest of the modern era, and whose vision of an independent state for the Muslims of British India was to inspire the creation of Pakistan. He is commonly referred to as Allama Iqbal. After studying in England and Germany, Iqbal established a law practice, but concentrated primarily on writing scholarly works on politics, economics, history, philosophy and religion. He was a strong proponent of the political and spiritual revival of Islamic civilisation across the world, but specifically in India; a series of famous lectures he delivered to this effect were published as The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam (1930). He is best known for his poetic works including: Asrar-e-Khudi (The Secrets of the Self) (1915)-which brought a knighthood- Rumuz-e- Bekhudi (The Secrets of Selflessness) (1918) and the Bang-e-Dara (The Call of the Marching Bell) (1924), with its enduring patriotic song Tarana-e-Hind.
A Poetic translaton and recreation of Iqbal's monumental work Complaint and Answer of the Complaint (Shikwah/Jawab-I-Shikwah) in English. The Translator skillfully renders the work of Iqbal into lyrical verses that stand true to the spirit of the orginal.
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