THE  MOTOR  CAR

Introduction
This short poem emphasizes the value of modesty. It is one of those poems in which ‘All«mah Iqb«l teaches high thinking through simple objects or incidents. The names of persons are irrelevant to the lesson.

Translation
How rightly Jogender said this yesterday
“The car of Zulfiq«r ‘Alâ  Kh«n is so quiet

Its elegant and graceful pace is not noisy
Fast like lightning, like breeze it is quiet”

I replied “This is not restricted to car
In the path of life every fleet footed is quiet

The bell is footless from its habit of lamenting
The caravan of fragrance like zephyr is quiet

The decanter always walks on embers ¹ due to gurgling
But the nature of the gentle-moving wine-cup is quiet

                To the poet’s thoughts the wings for flight are silence
                The wealth of the voice’s warmth lies in silence”!

Explanatory Notes
1. “Walking on embers or fire” is an expression to indicate walking under difficult conditions.