خودي کي زندگي
English title: THE LIFE OF SELFHOOD
خودي ہو زندہ تو ہے فقر بھي شہنشاہينہيں ہے سنجر و طغرل سے کم شکوہ فقير
Faqr is as exalted as a king if Self of man has vital flame: The lofty rank of true Faqir isn't less than Sanjar and Tughral's fame.
خودي ہو زندہ تو دريائے بے کراں پايابخودي ہو زندہ تو کہسار پر نيان و حرير
On foot we can cross the bundless sea, if Self is active and can tread over mountain range and feel as if not stones, but carpet soft is spread.
نہنگ زندہ ہے اپنے محيط ميں آزاد!نہنگ مردہ کو موج سراب بھي زنجير
A crocodile that is full or verve in its own suburbs is quite free if dead, e'en billows or mirage for it, like chains and fetters be.
Sources and translator credits
- Original text transcription: Zarb-e-Kalim — خودي کي زندگي — 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: Zarb-e-Kalim — 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
- Zarb-e-Kalim English translation at allama-iqbal.com — The Life Of Selfhood — 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