شعر عجم
ہے شعر عجم گرچہ طرب ناک و دل آویزاس شعر سے ہوتی نہیں شمشیر خودی تیز
English translation
There is no doubt that Persian verse, like music of the harp and lute, is full of joy and has much charm, yet sword or Self it makes not sharp.
Translated by Syed Akbar Ali Shah
Word meanings
طرب ناک: پر سرور۔شمشير خودي: خود آگاہی کی نظر۔
About this couplet
This is couplet 1 of 4 in “شعر عجم” (Persian Poetry) in the section Literature and Fine Arts, from Allama Muhammad Iqbal's Urdu book Zarb-e-Kalim (ضربِ کلیم), published in 1936.
Read it in the poem۱ / ۴