بلند بال تھا، لیکن نہ تھا جسور و غیور

Buland baal tha, lekin na tha jasoor o ghayoor

حکیم سِرِّ محبّت سے بے نصیب رہا

Hakeem sirr-e-mohabbat se be-naseeb raha

He was high-flying, but he was neither brave nor noble.
The wise man remained deprived of the secret of love.

پھرا فضاؤں میں کرگس اگرچہ شاہیں وار

Phira fizaaon mein kargas agarche shaheen-waar

شکارِ زندہ کی لذّت سے بے نصیب رہا

Shikar-e-zinda ki lazzat se be-naseeb raha

Though the vulture roamed the skies like an eagle.
He remained deprived of the pleasure of live prey.

Context

This Urdu poem critiques superficial grandeur and celebrates inner qualities, employing a classic poetic contrast between the ignoble vulture ('kargas') and the noble falcon ('shaheen'). It suggests that despite outward soaring or intellectual wisdom ('hakeem'), a lack of courage, self-respect, and the 'secret of love' (often implying passion, spiritual insight, or active striving) leaves one deprived of true fulfillment, akin to a scavenger missing the profound pleasure of live prey. This theme is deeply rooted in philosophical Urdu poetry, especially that influenced by Muhammad Iqbal, where the falcon symbolizes the ideal, striving human.