چاند اور تارے
English title: THE MOON AND STARS
Being scared by the approaching dawn, stars started saying to the moon:
‘The same scenes have continued in the sky; we became even tired of continuous shining.
Our duty is moving morning till night; moving, moving, continuously moving.
Everything in this universe is restless: What is known as rest does not exist.
Remain oppressed by the moving all; stars, mankind, trees, rocks and all.
Will this journey ever finish? Will destination be ever visible?’
The moon started saying: ‘O Companions’! ‘O gleaners of the field of night.
In motion is the life of the universe; this is an age old custom of this place.
The horse of time is ever running, flogged by the desire for search.
Resting on this path is inappropriate; concealed in the rest's cloak is death.
Those who were moving have moved away! Those halting a little, have been trampled!
The reward for this moving is Beauty; Love is the beginning, the end is Beauty.
Sources and translator credits
- Original text transcription: Bang-e-Dara — چاند اور تارے — 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
- Bang-e-Dara English translation at allama-iqbal.com — The Moon And Stars — 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