عہد طفلي
Ehad e Tifli
English title: THE AGE OF INFANCY
تھے ديار نو زمين و آسماں ميرے ليےوسعت آغوش مادر اک جہاں ميرے ليے
The earth and sky were unknown worlds to me; only the expanse of mother's bosom was a world to me.
تھي ہر اک جنبش نشان لطف جاں ميرے ليےحرف بے مطلب تھي خود ميري زباں ميرے ليے
Every movement was a symbol of life's pleasure to me; my own speech was like a meaningless word to me.
درد ، طفلي ميں اگر کوئي رلاتا تھا مجھےشورش زنجير در ميں لطف آتا تھا مجھے
During infancy's pain if somebody made me cry; the noise of the door chain would comfort me.
تکتے رہنا ہائے! وہ پہروں تلک سوئے قمروہ پھٹے بادل ميں بے آواز پا اس کا سفر
Oh! How I stared at the moon for long hours staring at its silent journey among broken clouds.
پوچھنا رہ رہ کے اس کے کوہ و صحرا کي خبراور وہ حيرت دروغ مصلحت آميز پر
I would ask repeatedly about its mountains and plains and how surprised would I be at that prudent lie.
آنکھ وقف ديد تھي ، لب مائل گفتار تھادل نہ تھا ميرا ، سراپا ذوق استفسار تھا
My eye was devoted to seeing, my lip was prone to speak; my heart was no less than inquisitiveness personified.
Sources and translator credits
- Original text transcription: Bang-e-Dara — عہد طفلي — 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: Bang-e-Dara — 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
- Iqbal Academy Pakistan Bang-i-Dara Audio Table of Contents — Official audio contents list; cited only for the displayed Urdu and Romanized title pairsPrimary source used to document this poem’s language or title.Source
- Pinned digital source list 001 (Bang-e-Dara section headings) — Pinned repository commit 39d44fc0c2b8ca25769c4b36e6eac4d90cb42b35; digital transcription, not a selected print edition.Verified against this pinned digital transcription file; not checked against a print edition.Source
- Bang-e-Dara English translation at allama-iqbal.com — The Age Of Infancy — Public digital poem page, retrieved 2026-10-05; pinned to allama-iqbal.com commit 82547635bb6b758c45082084b2f152fc453a8056.Translation by Dr M.A.K. Khalil; English Translation by: Dr M.A.K. KhalilSource