And Now “Woman”
On Muhammad Iqbal’s poem, A Dialogue Between God and Man
Iqbal’s poem:
GOD
I made the whole world with the same water and clay,
But You created Iran, Tartary, and Ethiopia.
From the earth I brought forth pure iron,
But you made from that iron sword, arrow, and gun.
You made an axe for the tree in the garden,
And a cage for the songbird.
MAN
You made the night, I made the lamp;
You made the earthen bowl, I made the goblet.
You made deserts, mountains and valleys;
I made gardens, meadows, and parks.
I am one who makes a mirror out of stone,
And turns poison into sweet, delicious drink.
I pray Muhammad Iqbal forgives my addition…
WOMAN
You made my form beauty in innocence,
until man destroyed my purity;
All that is pure seems destined for corruption.
You made the destroyer man easily tempted
by power, greed, and lust,
but who is the final Destroyer?