Meaning
Scent, fragrance, smell.
How Iqbal uses it
Boo, the elusive scent, figures the fleeting trace of beauty that the senses chase. Iqbal paired it with rang for the perfume-and-colour of a world to be enjoyed but ultimately transcended.
See it in the verse
Boo 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
Khudi ke zor se duniya pe chha ja
Maqam-e-rang-o-bu ka raaz pa ja
Maqam-e-rang-o-bu ka raaz pa ja
By the force of your selfhood, rise and overspread the world — and seize the secret of this realm of colour and scent.
Selfhood · Action · Aspiration