خرام ناز پایا آفتابوں نے، ستاروں نےچٹک غنچوں نے پائی، داغ پائے لالہ زاروں نے

English translation

The suns and the stars learnt elegant movements. Flower buds learnt blooming poppies got their spots11
(The Lalah: This is the Persian word for tulip as well as the poppy flower. Here it refers to the latter. The poppy flower has a dark spot at the bottom of the corolla on the inside, which is variously referred to in Persian and Urdu poetry and is taken as a mark of perfection of this flower’s beauty. Other attributes of the different objects mentioned in this verse are signs of their perfection in the same way. The rotatory and revolutionary movement of all bodies in the universe in their fixed orbits is described metaphorically as their search for the Truth of the Beloved, i.e. God. This Love has made the universe operate the way it does. It is a fact that the force of mutual attraction of all these bodies, i.e. gravity keeps the balance between them. This is also referred to by Allamah Iqb«l in many places for emphasizing unity in the Muslim Ummah for their proper functioning and prosperity.)

Translated by Dr M.A.K. Khalil

Word meanings

خرام ناز: ناز سے چلنا۔