يہ حوريان فرنگي ، دل و نظر کا حجاب
English title: These Western nymphs
These Western nymphs, a challenge to the eye and the heart; are bold of glance in a paradise of instant bliss.
Thy heart is a wavering ship tossed by beauty’s assault; these moons and stars that glisten, are whirlpools in thy sea.
The warblings of the harp and lyre have wondrous powers; powers that cannot be captured in the world of sound.
By teaching him the monastic wont and way; the Sufi has led astray the jurist of the town.
The prostration that once shook the earth’s soul; now leaves not a trace on the mosque’s decadent walls.
I have not heard in the Arab world the thunderous call; the call to prayer that pierced the hearts of hills in the past.
O Qartaba! Perhaps, some magic in thy air has breathed into my song the buoyancy of youth.
Sources and translator credits
- Original text transcription: Bal-e-Jibril — يہ حوريان فرنگي ، دل و نظر کا حجاب — 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 Naeem Siddiqui; English Translation by: Naeem SiddiquiSource