Chapter Guide
In brief
Chapter IX turns the self into a discipline: law trains freedom, worship masters appetite and fear, and the ripened self becomes God's vicegerent in history.
Iqbal begins this curriculum with the camel. The animal's patience, endurance, and willingness to bear a burden become a lesson in obedience. This is not obedience as passivity; it is the constraint that makes movement possible. Stars, plants, water, sand, and even perfume gain strength by keeping to their law, and the human self is told to recover that same source of inward power.
The second stage turns the camel image inward. The body and lower self must be held by the halter, because anyone who cannot command himself will be commanded by others. Iqbal presents creed, prayer, fasting, pilgrimage, and almsgiving as disciplines that break fear, loosen attachment, and make the self less vulnerable to appetite, wealth, family-possession, and worldly dependence.
The final stage raises the argument from discipline to vocation. Once the self can rule its own camel, it can take responsibility for the world. Nicholson identifies this section with Iqbal's own interpretation of the Sufi Perfect Man: not a self that disappears from history, but a God-oriented person whose presence renews an age, founds a new order, and turns strength toward brotherhood and peace.
Figures in this chapter
- Abraham
- In the self-control section, Iqbal presents Abraham's willingness to sacrifice as an image of faith strong enough to cut through worldly attachment. Nicholson notes that Muslims generally identify the son as Ishmael.
- The Perfect Man
- Nicholson identifies Iqbal's divine vicegerent with the Sufi doctrine of the Insan al-kamil. Iqbal reshapes that ideal into a creative, history-making self rather than a figure of withdrawal. Encyclopaedia Iranica
- Moses and Jesus
- The final stage borrows prophetic signs: Moses' staff, white hand, and Red Sea crossing, with Nicholson adding that the lines about reviving dead spirits may allude to Jesus. Iqbal uses these images to describe the perfected self's renewing force.
Original chapter heading
Showing that the education of the Self has three stages: Obedience, Self-control, and Divine Vicegerency.
خدمت و محنت شعار اشتر استصبر و استقلال کار اشتر است
گام او در راه کم غوغا ستیکاروان را زورق صحرا ستی
نقش پایش قسمت هر بیشه ئیکم خور و کم خواب و محنت پیشه ئی
مست زیر بار محمل می رودپای کوبان سوی منزل می رود
سر خوش از کیفیت رفتار خویشدر سفر صابر تر از اسوار خویش
تو هم از بار فرائض سر متاببر خوری از «عنده حسن المآب»
در اطاعت کوش ای غفلت شعارمی شود از جبر پیدا اختیار
ناکس از فرمان پذیری کس شودآتش ار باشد ز طغیان خس شود
هر که تسخیر مه و پروین کندخویش را زنجیری آئین کند
باد را زندان گل خوشبو کندقید بو را نافه ی آهو کند
می زند اختر سوی منزل قدمپیش آئینی سر تسلیم خم
سبزه بر دین نمو روئیده استپایمال از ترک آن گردیده است
لاله پیهم سوختن قانون اوبر جهد اندر رگ او خون او
قطره ها دریاست از آئین وصلذره ها صحراست از آئین وصل
باطن هر شی ز آئینی قویتو چرا غافل ازین سامان روی
باز ای آزاد دستور قدیمزینت پا کن همان زنجیر سیم
شکوه سنج سختی آئین مشواز حدود مصطفی بیرون مرو
«مرحله دوم ضبط نفس»نفس تو مثل شتر خود پرور است
خود پرست و خود سوار و خود سر استمرد شو آور زمام او بکف
تا شوی گوهر اگر باشی خزفهر که بر خود نیست فرمانش روان
می شود فرمان پذیر از دیگرانطرح تعمیر تو از گل ریختند
با محبت خوف را آمیختندخوف دنیا ، خوف عقبی ، خوف جان
خوف آلام زمین و آسمانحب مال و دولت و حب وطن
حب خویش و اقربا و حب زنامتزاج ماء و طین تن پرور است
کشته ی فحشا هلاک منکر استتا عصائی لا اله داری بدست
هر طلسم خوف را خواهی شکستهر که حق باشد چو جان اندر تنش
خم نگردد پیش باطل گردنشخوف را در سنیهٔ او راه نیست
خاطرش مرعوب غیر الله نیستهر که در اقلیم لا آباد شد
فارغ از بند زن و اولاد شدمی کند از ماسوی قطع نظر
می نهد ساطور بر حلق پسربا یکی مثل هجوم لشکر است
جان بچشم او ز باد ارزان تر استلا اله باشد صدف گوهر نماز
قلب مسلم را حج اصغر نمازدر کف مسلم مثال خنجر است
قاتل فحشا و بغی و منکر استروزه بر جوع و عطش شبخون زند
خیبر تن پروری را بشکندمؤمنان را فطرت افروز است حج
هجرت آموز و وطن سوزست حجطاعتی سرمایه ی جمعیتی
ربط اوراق کتاب ملتیحب دولت را فنا سازد زکوة
هم مساوات آشنا سازد زکوةدل ز «حتی تنفقوا» محکم کند
زر فزاید الفت زر کم کنداین همه اسباب استحکام تست
پخته ی محکم اگر اسلام تستاهل قوت شو ز ورد یًا قوی»
تا سوار اشتر خاکی شوی«مرحله سوم نیابت الهی»
گر شتر بانی جهانبانی کنیزیب سر تاج سلیمانی کنی
تا جهان باشد جهان آرا شویتاجدار ملک «لایبلی» شوی
نایب حق در جهان بودن خوش استبر عناصر حکمران بودن خوش است
نایب حق همچو جان عالم استهستی او ظل اسم اعظم است
از رموز جزو و کل آگه بوددر جهان قائم بامرالله بود
خیمه چون در وسعت عالم زنداین بساط کهنه را برهم زند
فطرتش معمور و می خواهد نمودعالمی دیگر بیارد در وجود
صد جهان مثل جهان جزو وکلروید از کشت خیال او چو گل
پخته سازد فطرت هر خام رااز حرم بیرون کند اصنام را
نغمه زا تار دل از مضراب اوبهر حق بیداری او خواب او
شیب را آموزد آهنگ شبابمی دهد هر چیز را رنگ شباب
نوع انسان را بشیر و هم نذیرهم سپاهی هم سپهگر هم امیر
مدعای «علم الاسما» ستیسر «سبحان الذی اسرا» ستی
از عصا دست سفیدش محکم استقدرت کامل بعلمش توأم است
چون عنا گیرد بدست آن شهسوارتیز تر گردد سمند روزگار
خشک سازد هیبت او نیل رامی برد از مصر اسرائیل را
از قم او خیزد اندر گور تنمرده جانها چون صنوبر در چمن
ذات او توجیه ذات عالم استاز جلال او نجات عالم است
ذره خورشید آشنا از سایه اشقیمت هستی گران از مایه اش
زندگی بخشد ز اعجاز عملمی کند تجدید انداز عمل
جلوه ها خیزد ز نقش پای اوصد کلیم آواره ی سینای او
زندگی را می کند تفسیر نومی دهد این خواب را تعبیر نو
هستئی مکنون او راز حیاتنغمه ی نشینده ی ساز حیات
طبع مضمون بند فطرت خون شودتا دو بیت ذات او موزون شود
مشت خاک ما سر گردون رسیدزین غبار آن شهسوار آید پدید
خفته در خاکستر امروز ماشعله ی فردای عالم سوز ما
غنچه ی ما گلستان در دامن استچشم ما از صبح فردا روشن است
ای سوار اشهب دوران بیاای فروغ دیده ی امکان بیا
رونق هنگامه ی ایجاد شودر سواد دیده ها آباد شو
شورش اقوام را خاموش کننغمه ی خود را بهشت گوش کن
خیز و قانون اخوت ساز دهجام صهبای محبت باز ده
باز در عالم بیار ایام صلحجنگجویان را بده پیغام صلح
نوع انسان مزرع و تو حاصلیکاروان زندگی را منزلی
ریخت از جور خزان برگ شجرچون بهاران بر ریاض ما گذر
سجده های طفلک و برنا و پیراز جبین شرمسار ما بگیر
از وجود تو سرافرازیم ماپس بسوز این جهان سازیم ما
Persian text from Ganjoor · 76 bayts
1. Obedience
Patience and perseverance are ways of the camel.
Noiselessly he steps along the sandy track,
He is the ship of those who voyage in the desert.
Every thicket knows the print of his foot:
He eats seldom, sleeps little, and is inured to toil.
He carries rider, baggage, and litter;
He trots on and on to the journey’s end,
Rejoicing in his speed,
More patient in travel than his rider.
Thou, too, do not refuse the burden of Duty:
So wilt thou enjoy the best dwelling-place, which is with God.
Endeavour to obey, O heedless one!
Liberty is the fruit of compulsion.
By obedience the man of no worth is made worthy;
By disobedience his fire is turned to ashes.
Whoso would master the sun and stars,
Let him make himself a prisoner of Law!
The wind is enthralled by the fragrant rose;
The perfume is confined in the navel of the musk-deer.
The star moves towards its goal
With head bowed in surrender to a law.
The grass springs up in obedience to the law of growth:
When it abandons that, it is trodden underfoot.
To burn unceasingly is the law of the tulip,
And so the blood leaps in its veins.
Drops of water become a sea by the law of union,
And grains of sand become a Sahara.
Since Law makes everything strong within,
Why dost thou neglect this source of strength?
O thou that art emancipated from the old Custom,[63]
Adorn thy feet once more with the same fine silver chain!
Do not complain of the hardness of the Law,
Do not transgress the statutes of Muhammad PBUH!
2. Self-control
It is self-conceited, self-governed, and self-willed.
Be a man, get its halter into thine hand,
That thou mayst become a pearl albeit thou art a potter’s vessel.
He that does not command himself
Becomes a receiver of commands from others.
When they moulded thee of clay,
Love and fear were mingled in thy making:
Fear of this world and of the world to come, fear of death,
Fear of all the pains of earth and heaven;
Love of riches and power, love of country,
Love of self and kindred and wife.
The mixing of clay with water nourishes the body,[64]
But he that is drowned in sin dies an evil death.
So long as thou hold’st the staff of “There is no God but He,”[65]
Thou wilt break every spell of fear.
One to whom God is as the soul in his body,
His neck is not bowed before vanity.
Fear finds no way into his bosom,
His heart is afraid of none but Allah.
Whoso dwells in the Muslim Faith
Is free from the bonds of wife and child.
He withdraws his gaze from all except God
And lays the knife to the throat of his son.[66]
Though single, he is like a host in onset:
Life is cheaper in his eyes than wind.
The profession of Faith is the shell, but prayer is the pearl:
The Muslim’s heart deems prayer a lesser pilgrimage.[67]
In the Muslim’s hand prayer is like a dagger
Killing sin and frowardness and wrong.
Fasting makes an assault upon hunger and thirst
And breaches the citadel of sensuality.
The pilgrimage enlightens the minds of the Faithful:
It teaches separation from one’s home and destroys attachment to one’s native land;
It is an act of devotion in which all feel themselves to be one,
It binds together the leaves of the book of religion.
Almsgiving causes love of riches to pass away
And makes equality familiar;
It fortifies the heart with righteousness,[68]
It increases wealth and diminishes fondness for wealth.
All this is a means of strengthening thee:
Thou art impregnable, if thy Islam be strong.
Draw might from the litany “O Almighty One!”
That thou mayst ride the camel of thy body.[69]
3. Divine Vicegerency[70]
And wear on thine head the crown of Solomon.
Thou wilt be the glory of the world whilst the world lasts,
And thou wilt reign in the kingdom incorruptible.
‘Tis sweet to be God’s vicegerent in the world
And exercise sway over the elements.
God’s vicegerent is as the soul of the universe,
His being is the shadow of the Greatest Name.
He knows the mysteries of part and whole,
He executes the command of Allah in the world.
When he pitches his tent in the wide world,
He rolls up this ancient carpet.[71]
His genius abounds with life and desires to manifest itself:
He will bring another world into existence.
A hundred worlds like this world of parts and wholes
Spring up, like roses, from the seed of his imagination.
He makes every raw nature ripe,
He puts the idols out of the sanctuary.
Heart-strings give forth music at his touch,
He wakes and sleeps for God alone.
He teaches age the melody of youth
And endows everything with the radiance of youth.
To the human race he brings both a glad message and a warning,
He comes both as a soldier and as a marshal and prince.
He is the final cause of “God taught Adam the names of all things,”[72]
He is the inmost sense of “Glory to Him that transported His servant by night.”[73]
His white hand is strengthened by the staff,[74]
His knowledge is twinned with the power of a perfect man.
When that bold cavalier seizes the reins,
The steed of Time gallops faster.
His awful mien makes the Red Sea dry,
He leads Israel out of Egypt.
At his cry, “Arise,” the dead spirits
Rise in their bodily tomb, like pines in the field.
His person is an atonement for all the world,
By his grandeur the world is saved.[75]
His protecting shadow makes the mote familiar with the sun,
His rich substance makes precious all that exists.
He bestows life by miraculous works,
He founds a new system to work by.
Splendid visions rise from the print of his foot,
Many a Moses is entranced by his Sinai.
He gives a new explanation of Life,
A new interpretation of this dream.
His hidden being is Life’s mystery,
The unheard music of Life’s harp.
Nature travails in blood for generations
To compose the harmony of his personality.
When our handful of earth has reached the zenith,
That champion will come forth from this dust!
There sleeps amidst the ashes of To-day
The flame of a world-consuming morrow.
Our bud enfolds a garden of roses,
Our eyes are bright with to-morrow’s dawn.
Appear, O rider of Destiny!
Appear, O light of the dark realm of Change!
Illumine the scene of existence,
Dwell in the blackness of our eyes!
Silence the noise of the nations,
Imparadise our ears with thy music!
Arise and tune the harp of brotherhood,
Give us back the cup of the wine of love!
Bring once more days of peace to the world,
Give a message of peace to them that seek battle!
Mankind are the cornfield and thou the harvest,
Thou art the goal of Life’s caravan.
The leaves are scattered by Autumn’s fury:
Oh, do thou pass over our gardens as the Spring!
Receive from our downcast brows
The homage of little children and of young men and old!
When thou art there, we will lift up our heads,
Content to suffer the burning fire of this world.
FOOTNOTES:
[63] The religious law of Islam.
[64] I.e. water is an indispensable element in the life of the body.
[65] The first article of the Muslim creed.
[66] Like Abraham when he was about to sacrifice Isaac or (as Muslims generally believe) Ishmael.
[67] The lesser pilgrimage (’umra) is not obligatory like the greater pilgrimage (hajj).
[68] The original quotes part of a verse in the Al-Quran (ch. 3, v. 86), where it is said, “Ye shall never attain unto righteousness until ye give in alms of that which ye love.”
[69] I.e. overcome the lusts of the flesh.
[70] Here Iqbal interprets in his own way the Súfí doctrine of the Insán al-kámil or Perfect Man, which teaches that every man is potentially a microcosm, and that when he has become spiritually perfect, all the Divine attributes are displayed by him, so that as saint or prophet he is the God-man, the representative and vicegerent of God on earth.
[71] I.e. his appearance marks the end of an epoch.
[72] Al-Quran, ch. 2, v. 29. The Ideal Man is the final cause of creation.
[73] Al-Quran, ch. 17, v. 1, referring to the Ascension of the Prophet PBUH.
[74] For the white hand (of Moses) cf. Al-Quran, ch. 7, v. 105, ch. 26, v. 32, and Exodus, ch. 4, v. 6.
[75] These four lines may allude to Jesus, regarded as a type of the Perfect Man.
خدمت و محنت شعار اشتر استصبر و استقلال کار اشتر است
گام او در راه کم غوغا ستیکاروان را زورق صحرا ستی
Noiselessly he steps along the sandy track,
He is the ship of those who voyage in the desert.
نقش پایش قسمت هر بیشه ئیکم خور و کم خواب و محنت پیشه ئی
Every thicket knows the print of his foot:
He eats seldom, sleeps little, and is inured to toil.
مست زیر بار محمل می رودپای کوبان سوی منزل می رود
He carries rider, baggage, and litter;
He trots on and on to the journey’s end,
سر خوش از کیفیت رفتار خویشدر سفر صابر تر از اسوار خویش
Rejoicing in his speed,
More patient in travel than his rider.
تو هم از بار فرائض سر متاببر خوری از «عنده حسن المآب»
Thou, too, do not refuse the burden of Duty:
So wilt thou enjoy the best dwelling-place, which is with God.
در اطاعت کوش ای غفلت شعارمی شود از جبر پیدا اختیار
Endeavour to obey, O heedless one!
Liberty is the fruit of compulsion.
ناکس از فرمان پذیری کس شودآتش ار باشد ز طغیان خس شود
By obedience the man of no worth is made worthy;
By disobedience his fire is turned to ashes.
هر که تسخیر مه و پروین کندخویش را زنجیری آئین کند
Whoso would master the sun and stars,
Let him make himself a prisoner of Law!
باد را زندان گل خوشبو کندقید بو را نافه ی آهو کند
The wind is enthralled by the fragrant rose;
The perfume is confined in the navel of the musk-deer.
می زند اختر سوی منزل قدمپیش آئینی سر تسلیم خم
The star moves towards its goal
With head bowed in surrender to a law.
سبزه بر دین نمو روئیده استپایمال از ترک آن گردیده است
The grass springs up in obedience to the law of growth:
When it abandons that, it is trodden underfoot.
لاله پیهم سوختن قانون اوبر جهد اندر رگ او خون او
To burn unceasingly is the law of the tulip,
And so the blood leaps in its veins.
قطره ها دریاست از آئین وصلذره ها صحراست از آئین وصل
Drops of water become a sea by the law of union,
And grains of sand become a Sahara.
باطن هر شی ز آئینی قویتو چرا غافل ازین سامان روی
Since Law makes everything strong within,
Why dost thou neglect this source of strength?
باز ای آزاد دستور قدیمزینت پا کن همان زنجیر سیم
O thou that art emancipated from the old Custom,[63]
Adorn thy feet once more with the same fine silver chain!
شکوه سنج سختی آئین مشواز حدود مصطفی بیرون مرو
Do not complain of the hardness of the Law,
Do not transgress the statutes of Muhammad PBUH!
«مرحله دوم ضبط نفس»نفس تو مثل شتر خود پرور است
خود پرست و خود سوار و خود سر استمرد شو آور زمام او بکف
Be a man, get its halter into thine hand,
That thou mayst become a pearl albeit thou art a potter’s vessel.
تا شوی گوهر اگر باشی خزفهر که بر خود نیست فرمانش روان
He that does not command himself
Becomes a receiver of commands from others.
می شود فرمان پذیر از دیگرانطرح تعمیر تو از گل ریختند
When they moulded thee of clay,
Love and fear were mingled in thy making:
با محبت خوف را آمیختندخوف دنیا ، خوف عقبی ، خوف جان
Fear of this world and of the world to come, fear of death,
Fear of all the pains of earth and heaven;
خوف آلام زمین و آسمانحب مال و دولت و حب وطن
Love of riches and power, love of country,
Love of self and kindred and wife.
حب خویش و اقربا و حب زنامتزاج ماء و طین تن پرور است
The mixing of clay with water nourishes the body,[64]
But he that is drowned in sin dies an evil death.
کشته ی فحشا هلاک منکر استتا عصائی لا اله داری بدست
So long as thou hold’st the staff of “There is no God but He,”[65]
Thou wilt break every spell of fear.
هر طلسم خوف را خواهی شکستهر که حق باشد چو جان اندر تنش
One to whom God is as the soul in his body,
His neck is not bowed before vanity.
خم نگردد پیش باطل گردنشخوف را در سنیهٔ او راه نیست
Fear finds no way into his bosom,
His heart is afraid of none but Allah.
خاطرش مرعوب غیر الله نیستهر که در اقلیم لا آباد شد
Whoso dwells in the Muslim Faith
Is free from the bonds of wife and child.
فارغ از بند زن و اولاد شدمی کند از ماسوی قطع نظر
He withdraws his gaze from all except God
And lays the knife to the throat of his son.[66]
می نهد ساطور بر حلق پسربا یکی مثل هجوم لشکر است
Though single, he is like a host in onset:
Life is cheaper in his eyes than wind.
جان بچشم او ز باد ارزان تر استلا اله باشد صدف گوهر نماز
The profession of Faith is the shell, but prayer is the pearl:
The Muslim’s heart deems prayer a lesser pilgrimage.[67]
قلب مسلم را حج اصغر نمازدر کف مسلم مثال خنجر است
In the Muslim’s hand prayer is like a dagger
Killing sin and frowardness and wrong.
قاتل فحشا و بغی و منکر استروزه بر جوع و عطش شبخون زند
Fasting makes an assault upon hunger and thirst
And breaches the citadel of sensuality.
خیبر تن پروری را بشکندمؤمنان را فطرت افروز است حج
The pilgrimage enlightens the minds of the Faithful:
It teaches separation from one’s home and destroys attachment to one’s native land;
هجرت آموز و وطن سوزست حجطاعتی سرمایه ی جمعیتی
It is an act of devotion in which all feel themselves to be one,
It binds together the leaves of the book of religion.
ربط اوراق کتاب ملتیحب دولت را فنا سازد زکوة
Almsgiving causes love of riches to pass away
And makes equality familiar;
هم مساوات آشنا سازد زکوةدل ز «حتی تنفقوا» محکم کند
It fortifies the heart with righteousness,[68]
It increases wealth and diminishes fondness for wealth.
زر فزاید الفت زر کم کنداین همه اسباب استحکام تست
All this is a means of strengthening thee:
Thou art impregnable, if thy Islam be strong.
پخته ی محکم اگر اسلام تستاهل قوت شو ز ورد یًا قوی»
Draw might from the litany “O Almighty One!”
That thou mayst ride the camel of thy body.[69]
تا سوار اشتر خاکی شوی«مرحله سوم نیابت الهی»
گر شتر بانی جهانبانی کنیزیب سر تاج سلیمانی کنی
Thou wilt be the glory of the world whilst the world lasts,
And thou wilt reign in the kingdom incorruptible.
تا جهان باشد جهان آرا شویتاجدار ملک «لایبلی» شوی
‘Tis sweet to be God’s vicegerent in the world
And exercise sway over the elements.
نایب حق در جهان بودن خوش استبر عناصر حکمران بودن خوش است
God’s vicegerent is as the soul of the universe,
His being is the shadow of the Greatest Name.
نایب حق همچو جان عالم استهستی او ظل اسم اعظم است
He knows the mysteries of part and whole,
He executes the command of Allah in the world.
از رموز جزو و کل آگه بوددر جهان قائم بامرالله بود
When he pitches his tent in the wide world,
He rolls up this ancient carpet.[71]
خیمه چون در وسعت عالم زنداین بساط کهنه را برهم زند
His genius abounds with life and desires to manifest itself:
He will bring another world into existence.
فطرتش معمور و می خواهد نمودعالمی دیگر بیارد در وجود
A hundred worlds like this world of parts and wholes
Spring up, like roses, from the seed of his imagination.
صد جهان مثل جهان جزو وکلروید از کشت خیال او چو گل
He makes every raw nature ripe,
He puts the idols out of the sanctuary.
پخته سازد فطرت هر خام رااز حرم بیرون کند اصنام را
Heart-strings give forth music at his touch,
He wakes and sleeps for God alone.
نغمه زا تار دل از مضراب اوبهر حق بیداری او خواب او
He teaches age the melody of youth
And endows everything with the radiance of youth.
شیب را آموزد آهنگ شبابمی دهد هر چیز را رنگ شباب
To the human race he brings both a glad message and a warning,
He comes both as a soldier and as a marshal and prince.
نوع انسان را بشیر و هم نذیرهم سپاهی هم سپهگر هم امیر
مدعای «علم الاسما» ستیسر «سبحان الذی اسرا» ستی
His white hand is strengthened by the staff,[74]
His knowledge is twinned with the power of a perfect man.
از عصا دست سفیدش محکم استقدرت کامل بعلمش توأم است
When that bold cavalier seizes the reins,
The steed of Time gallops faster.
چون عنا گیرد بدست آن شهسوارتیز تر گردد سمند روزگار
His awful mien makes the Red Sea dry,
He leads Israel out of Egypt.
خشک سازد هیبت او نیل رامی برد از مصر اسرائیل را
At his cry, “Arise,” the dead spirits
Rise in their bodily tomb, like pines in the field.
از قم او خیزد اندر گور تنمرده جانها چون صنوبر در چمن
His person is an atonement for all the world,
By his grandeur the world is saved.[75]
ذات او توجیه ذات عالم استاز جلال او نجات عالم است
His protecting shadow makes the mote familiar with the sun,
His rich substance makes precious all that exists.
ذره خورشید آشنا از سایه اشقیمت هستی گران از مایه اش
He bestows life by miraculous works,
He founds a new system to work by.
زندگی بخشد ز اعجاز عملمی کند تجدید انداز عمل
Splendid visions rise from the print of his foot,
Many a Moses is entranced by his Sinai.
جلوه ها خیزد ز نقش پای اوصد کلیم آواره ی سینای او
He gives a new explanation of Life,
A new interpretation of this dream.
زندگی را می کند تفسیر نومی دهد این خواب را تعبیر نو
His hidden being is Life’s mystery,
The unheard music of Life’s harp.
هستئی مکنون او راز حیاتنغمه ی نشینده ی ساز حیات
Nature travails in blood for generations
To compose the harmony of his personality.
طبع مضمون بند فطرت خون شودتا دو بیت ذات او موزون شود
When our handful of earth has reached the zenith,
That champion will come forth from this dust!
مشت خاک ما سر گردون رسیدزین غبار آن شهسوار آید پدید
There sleeps amidst the ashes of To-day
The flame of a world-consuming morrow.
خفته در خاکستر امروز ماشعله ی فردای عالم سوز ما
Our bud enfolds a garden of roses,
Our eyes are bright with to-morrow’s dawn.
غنچه ی ما گلستان در دامن استچشم ما از صبح فردا روشن است
Appear, O rider of Destiny!
Appear, O light of the dark realm of Change!
ای سوار اشهب دوران بیاای فروغ دیده ی امکان بیا
Illumine the scene of existence,
Dwell in the blackness of our eyes!
رونق هنگامه ی ایجاد شودر سواد دیده ها آباد شو
Silence the noise of the nations,
Imparadise our ears with thy music!
شورش اقوام را خاموش کننغمه ی خود را بهشت گوش کن
Arise and tune the harp of brotherhood,
Give us back the cup of the wine of love!
خیز و قانون اخوت ساز دهجام صهبای محبت باز ده
Bring once more days of peace to the world,
Give a message of peace to them that seek battle!
باز در عالم بیار ایام صلحجنگجویان را بده پیغام صلح
Mankind are the cornfield and thou the harvest,
Thou art the goal of Life’s caravan.
نوع انسان مزرع و تو حاصلیکاروان زندگی را منزلی
The leaves are scattered by Autumn’s fury:
Oh, do thou pass over our gardens as the Spring!
ریخت از جور خزان برگ شجرچون بهاران بر ریاض ما گذر
Receive from our downcast brows
The homage of little children and of young men and old!
سجده های طفلک و برنا و پیراز جبین شرمسار ما بگیر
When thou art there, we will lift up our heads,
Content to suffer the burning fire of this world.
از وجود تو سرافرازیم ماپس بسوز این جهان سازیم ما
FOOTNOTES:
[63] The religious law of Islam.
[64] I.e. water is an indispensable element in the life of the body.
[65] The first article of the Muslim creed.
[66] Like Abraham when he was about to sacrifice Isaac or (as Muslims generally believe) Ishmael.
[67] The lesser pilgrimage (’umra) is not obligatory like the greater pilgrimage (hajj).
[68] The original quotes part of a verse in the Al-Quran (ch. 3, v. 86), where it is said, “Ye shall never attain unto righteousness until ye give in alms of that which ye love.”
[69] I.e. overcome the lusts of the flesh.
[70] Here Iqbal interprets in his own way the Súfí doctrine of the Insán al-kámil or Perfect Man, which teaches that every man is potentially a microcosm, and that when he has become spiritually perfect, all the Divine attributes are displayed by him, so that as saint or prophet he is the God-man, the representative and vicegerent of God on earth.
[71] I.e. his appearance marks the end of an epoch.
[72] Al-Quran, ch. 2, v. 29. The Ideal Man is the final cause of creation.
[73] Al-Quran, ch. 17, v. 1, referring to the Ascension of the Prophet PBUH.
[74] For the white hand (of Moses) cf. Al-Quran, ch. 7, v. 105, ch. 26, v. 32, and Exodus, ch. 4, v. 6.
[75] These four lines may allude to Jesus, regarded as a type of the Perfect Man.
Persian text from Ganjoor · 76 bayts