مرد فرنگ
English title: THE FRANKISH MAN
ہزار بار حکيموں نے اس کو سلجھايامگر يہ مسئلہ زن رہا وہيں کا وہيں
To solve this riddle thinkers have much tried, their efforts all so far it has defied.
قصور زن کا نہيں ہے کچھ اس خرابي ميںگواہ اس کي شرافت پہ ہيں مہ و پرويں
No doubt, to woman's faith and conduct clear, the Pleiades and moon do witness bear.
فساد کا ہے فرنگي معاشرت ميں ظہورکہ مرد سادہ ہے بيچارہ زن شناس نہيں
This vice in Frankish way of life we find, men fools and blind, can't read a woman's mind.
Sources and translator credits
- Original text transcription: Zarb-e-Kalim — مرد فرنگ — 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 Frankish Man — 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