Customer Reviews

Tulip in the Desert: A Selection of Iqbal's Poetry

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Mustansir Mir has done a superb job of bringing to life selected works of Iqbal to a generation of Indian and Pakistani Muslims who do not read, write of speak Urdu fluently.
The author has gone into a detailed analysis of the work of Iqbal. Each poem is introduced with text and there are plenty of foot notes to grasp the meaning of each verse. It is said that poetry loses its charm when translated and is not as good as the original. In Mustansir Mir's case, I cannot subscribe to this view. His work has made me appreciate the true nature of Iqbal work in full force that even my parents who were well versed in Urdu and read his work did not enjoy.
For this invaluable gift to us, that is Indian Muslims, I offer a collective thank you!

Nadir Mir Ali

Superbly translated and deftly edited by Mustansir Mir, Tulip In The Desert showcases the poetry of Muhammad Iqbal, one of the Indian sub-continent's most influential thinkers who Urdu and Persian poetry helped to inspire the idea of an independent Pakistan. Rumi And Goethe: In paradise that perceptive German/Happened upon the Master of the East./Where is a poet of such stature!/Though not a prophet, he is possessed of scripture!/To the one who knew divine secrets/He read about the pact of Iblis and the doctor./Rumi said, 'You who bring words to life,/And hunt angels - and God -/Your thought has made its home/In the inner recesses of the heart,/And created this old world anew./At one and the same time in the body's frame,/You have seen the tranquillity and the restlessness of the soul,/You have been a witness to the birth of the pearl in the shell./Not everyone knows the secret of love;/Or is fit to reach these portals./'He who is blest, and a confidant, knows/That cunning comes from Iblis and love from Adam'.