POEM · PERMANENT EDITION

Muhammad Iqbal تری دنیا جہانِ مُرغ و ماہی Teri duniya jahaan-e murgh o maahi ●sher 1 of 2

تری دنیا جہانِ مُرغ و ماہی

Teri duniya jahaan-e murgh o maahi

مری دنیا فُغانِ صبح گاہی

Meri duniya fughaan-e subh gaahi

Your world, a realm of fowl and fish.
My world, the lament of early dawn.

تری دنیا میں مَیں محکوم و مجبور

Teri duniya mein main mehkoom o majboor

مِری دنیا میں تیری پادشاہی!

Meri duniya mein teri paadshaahi!

In your world, I am subservient and compelled.
In my world, yours is the sovereignty!

Context

This Urdu poem explores the profound duality between the material world and the spiritual realm, a common theme in devotional and philosophical poetry. It contrasts the external world, depicted as "the world of birds and fish" where the human speaker feels subjugated and helpless, with an internal world of "the lament of early dawn" – a space of prayer, yearning, or deep emotional expression. Within this inner sanctuary, the speaker paradoxically asserts the sovereignty of the divine or a higher truth, suggesting that despite worldly constraints, the soul's devotion is where true power and ultimate dominion reside.