Meaning
The hunter's snare; the net spread by the fowler to trap the bird.
Literally: net of the hunter
How Iqbal uses it
The trap awaiting the free bird outside the nest; the daam-e-sayyaad stands for the worldly snares that lie in wait for the unwary soul.
See it in the verse
Daam-e-sayyaad in Iqbal’s couplets
Khatar-pasand tabiyat ko saazgar nahin
Wo gulsitan ki jahan ghaat mein na ho sayyad
Wo gulsitan ki jahan ghaat mein na ho sayyad
A nature that loves danger finds no comfort in a garden where no hunter lies in wait.
Courage · Restlessness · Adversity
Tere seene mein dam hai, dil nahin hai
Tera dam garmi-e-mahfil nahin hai
Tera dam garmi-e-mahfil nahin hai
There is breath in your chest, but no heart. Your breath carries none of the warmth that lights up a gathering.
Awakening · Selfhood · Love
Aaya hai tu jahan mein misal-e-sharar dekh
Dam de na jaye hasti-na-paayedar dekh
Dam de na jaye hasti-na-paayedar dekh
You have come into the world like a spark — see that this fleeting existence does not slip away from you.
Action · Awakening · Aspiration
Zindagi insaan ki ik dam ke siva kuch bhi nahin
Dam hawa ki mauj hai ram ke siva kuch bhi nahin
Dam hawa ki mauj hai ram ke siva kuch bhi nahin
A human life is nothing more than a single breath — and that breath is a wave of air, nothing but a fleeting movement.
Humility · Awakening · Action