عالم آب و خاک و باد! سر عياں ہے تو کہ ميں
English title: O myriad — coloured earth!
عالم آب و خاک و باد! سر عياں ہے تو کہ ميںوہ جو نظر سے ہے نہاں ، اس کا جہاں ہے تو کہ ميں
O myriad - coloured earth! Which of us is a secret revealed? And which of us is the world the Invisible One loves more?
وہ شب درد و سوز و غم ، کہتے ہيں زندگي جسےاس کي سحر ہے تو کہ ميں ، اس کي اذاں ہے تو کہ ميں
Which of us is the call to prayer, or the silvery dawn of that night of pain and sorrow that goes by the name of life?
کس کي نمود کے ليے شام و سحر ہيں گرم سيرشانہ روزگار پر بار گراں ہے تو کہ ميں
Which of us is affirmed by the revolving day and night? And which of us is a burden on this vast universe?
تو کف خاک و بے بصر ، ميں کف خاک و خودنگرکشت وجود کے ليے آب رواں ہے تو کہ ميں
Thou art dust and blind, I am dust and self-aware; which of us is the crown and glory, ruling all life?
Sources and translator credits
- Original text transcription: Bal-e-Jibril — عالم آب و خاک و باد! سر عياں ہے تو کہ ميں — Digital transcription file at commit 39d44fc0c2b8ca25769c4b36e6eac4d90cb42b35; the source dataset does not identify the underlying print edition.Verified against this pinned digital transcription file; not checked against a print edition.Source
- Iqbal Demystified source list: Bal-e-Jibril — Pinned digital dataset commit 39d44fc0c2b8ca25769c4b36e6eac4d90cb42b35; the underlying print edition is not identified by the dataset.Community dataset list; not reconciled against a print edition.Source
- Bal-e-Jibril English translation at allama-iqbal.com — — Public digital poem page, retrieved 2026-10-06; pinned to allama-iqbal.com commit 82547635bb6b758c45082084b2f152fc453a8056.Translation by Naim Siddiqui; English Translation by: Naim SiddiquiSource