Translations
This page shows only poems with translations by Mustansir Mir.
Payam-e Mashriq by Allama Iqbal, in translations by Mustansir Mir
The nightingale said to the gardener at dawn: ‘Only the tree of sorrow can take root in this soil.
Build, with your handful of dust, a body stronger than a rock fortress;
On the Day of Resurrection the Brahmin said to God: ‘The light of life was like a brilliant spark;
I have heard that in pre-existence the moth said: ‘Grant me just a moment’s radiance in my life.
If you were merely to glance at a piece of rock, it would turn into a jewel if you so desired.
Your plectrum fills the instrument of the soul with tunes. How can You be in the soul and outside it as well?
My heart! My heart! My heart! My ocean, my boat, my shore!
To a fearless heart a lion is a sheep; to a timid heart a deer is a tiger.
Our world, a piece of work not yet finished, is hostage to the alteration of day and night;
Carve out your path with your own pick-axe; it is a torment to take the path of others.
His glory is seen in garden and jungle; the cup of the rose glows with His wine.
Inside me is such a play of ideas – what does this mean? Outside me are all these mysteries – what does this mean?
Ajam became young again through my songs; my frenzy raised the price of its wares.
My passion puts fire into the Muslim veins, and my restive tears drop from his eyes;
