Persian · noun · Iqbal's Emblems
Aashiyan
आशियाँ
said aa-shi-yaan
also written: Aashiyana
Meaning
A bird's nest, the small home woven of straw to which the bird returns.
How Iqbal uses it
The nest is the dear, fragile home and homeland that the bird builds and the fowler or storm destroys. Iqbal turns it into an image of the cherished abode of the community and the self, threatened yet endlessly rebuilt.
See it in the verse
Aashiyan in Iqbal’s couplets
Qanaat na kar aalam-e-rang-o-bu par
Chaman aur bhi, aashiyan aur bhi hain
Chaman aur bhi, aashiyan aur bhi hain
Do not be content with this world of colour and scent — there are other gardens, and other nests, too.
Aspiration · Restlessness
Parindon ki duniya ka darvesh hoon main
Ki shaheen banata nahin aashiyana
Ki shaheen banata nahin aashiyana
I am the dervish of the world of birds — for the falcon never builds itself a nest.
The Falcon · Freedom
Guzar-auqat kar leta hai ye koh o bayaban mein
Ki shahin ke liye zillat hai kar-e-ashiyan-bandi
Ki shahin ke liye zillat hai kar-e-ashiyan-bandi
It makes its living among mountains and wilderness, for to the falcon the building of a comfortable nest is a disgrace.
The Falcon · Freedom · Adversity
Nahin is khuli faza mein koi gosha-e-faraghat
Ye jahan ajab jahan hai na qafas na aashiyana
Ye jahan ajab jahan hai na qafas na aashiyana
In this open expanse there is no corner of idle rest; this is a strange world, neither a cage nor a nest.
Action · Freedom · Restlessness
Tumhari tahzib apne khanjar se aap hi khud-kushi karegi
Jo shakh-e-nazuk pe aashiyana banega na-paedar hoga
Jo shakh-e-nazuk pe aashiyana banega na-paedar hoga
Your civilisation will take its own life with its own dagger; a nest built on a fragile branch will never last.
Adversity · Self-Knowledge · Justice