This gaze of longing cannot be hidden, so how can anyone behold them otherwise?

This profound couplet speaks to the inescapable nature of intense longing. Allama Iqbal suggests that the deep, passionate gaze (nigah-e-shauq) for the beloved is so potent that it cannot be concealed. It's a universal truth: when love burns so brightly, it doesn't just reside in the heart; it radiates outward, becoming visible in every glance. The poet asks, 'Then how can anyone look at them any other way?' because the love itself dictates the very way one must observe the beloved.