Persian · noun · Iqbal's Emblems
Bulbul
बुलबुल
said bul-bul
also written: Andaleeb, Hazaar
Meaning
The nightingale, the songbird that pours out its longing for the rose in the classical garden lyric.
How Iqbal uses it
Iqbal often casts the bulbul as the conventional, plaintive poet-soul that sings sweetly of its sorrow but remains caged in mere lament, contrasted against the silent, soaring falcon of action. Its endless complaint to the rose becomes a figure for beautiful but passive yearning.
See it in the verse
Bulbul in Iqbal’s couplets
Ye ek sajda jise tu garaan samajhta hai
Hazaar sajdon se deta hai aadmi ko nijaat
Hazaar sajdon se deta hai aadmi ko nijaat
This one act of devotion, which you find so heavy to make — it frees a person from a thousand servile bowings.
Freedom · Selfhood
Hazar khauf ho lekin zaban ho dil ki rafiq
Yahi raha hai azal se qalandaron ka tariq
Yahi raha hai azal se qalandaron ka tariq
Let there be a thousand fears, yet let the tongue stay true to the heart; this has been the way of free spirits since the beginning of time.
Courage · Selfhood · Self-Knowledge
Safina-e-barg-e-gul bana lega qafila mor-e-na-tawan ka
Hazar maujon ki ho kashakash magar ye dariya se par hoga
Hazar maujon ki ho kashakash magar ye dariya se par hoga
The caravan of feeble ants will make a boat of a rose petal; though a thousand waves clash against it, this boat will cross the river.
Hope · Courage · Unity
Related words
ARABIC
Andaleeb
The nightingale, an Arabic-rooted name for the same singing bird that grieves for the rose.
ARABIC
Qumri
The turtle-dove or ring-dove, a garden bird whose cooing is read as a cry of love and longing.
PERSIAN
Gul-e-Rana
A lovely two-coloured rose, red on one side and yellow on the other, prized for its beauty.