Abdul Qadir Ke Naam

Arise, for darkness now spills on the Eastern horizon; Let us with fiery eloquence illuminate the assembly.

Our cry is like a wild seed that crackles in the flame; With this same tumult, let us upend the assembly.

Let us show the assembly the power of love's burnishing; Let us forge the stone of Today into the mirror of Tomorrow.

Let us show them the vision of the lost Joseph, And fill them with a yearning fiercer than Zulaikha's blood.

Let us teach this garden the law of growth, And turn the worthless dewdrop into a vast ocean.

Let us lift our souls from the idol-house of Cathay, And lose all in the vision of Sa'di and Salma.

Look! In Yathrib, Layla's camel stands idle; Let us acquaint Qais with a new and higher longing.

Let the vintage wine be so warm that we melt The very heart of the flask, the goblet, and the glass.

That brand which kept us warm in the chill of the West— Let us tear open our chests and expose it for all to see.

Let us live like a candle in the world's great hall; Let us burn ourselves, and teach the stranger's eye to see.

Whatever crosses the heart, the candle entrusts to its tongue; To burn is not a thought the candle can conceal.