خوب و زشت
English title: FOUL AND FAIR
ستارگان فضاہائے نيلگوں کي طرحتخيلات بھي ہيں تابع طلوع و غروب
Just like the stars that shine in azure sky, thoughts have short span of life and soon they dir.
جہاں خودي کا بھي ہے صاحب فراز و نشيبيہاں بھي معرکہ آرا ہے خوب سے ناخوب
The Realm of Self has its ups and downs, even here, the Fair and Foul exchange their frowns.
نمود جس کي فراز خودي سے ہو ، وہ جميل!جو ہو نشيب ميں پيدا ، قبيح و نامحبوب
If Self has reached the height, its acts are fine, debased, its deeds as good one can't define.
Sources and translator credits
- Original text transcription: Zarb-e-Kalim — خوب و زشت — 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 — Good and Evil — 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