!يہ پيران کليسا و حرم ، اے وائے مجبوري
English title: Alas! These men of church and mosque are known
Alas! The mullah and the priest, conduct their sermons so that despite their efforts great, the hearts of listeners fail to glow.
O fellow stupid, get firm belief, for faith upon you can bestow: Dervishhood of such lofty brand ’fore which the mighty monarchs bow.
Disunion’s ache that I do feel a thousand hues and garbs can don: To rapture and surprise converts, anon to sighs of early morn.
Secrets of love and passion strong transcend the ken of earthy breed: This much alone I learnt that death of heart disunion means indeed.
The Fair with His own Beauty drunk is impelled to cast the Veil aside: The reasons of His remaining hid within my own dim sight abide.
The rules that govern the Turn of Fate no one can ever understand, else the heirs to Tamerlane were brave like those of Turkish Land.
How have the beggars of the Shrine brought Iqbal within their fold, though monarchs great and princes strong a falcon white can’t get in hold?
Sources and translator credits
- Original text transcription: Bal-e-Jibril — !يہ پيران کليسا و حرم ، اے وائے مجبوري — 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 Syed Akbar Ali Shah; English Translation by: Syed Akbar Ali ShahSource