Persian · noun · The Heart & the Body
Dard-e-nihan
दर्द-ए-निहाँ
also written: Dard-e-nihaan
Meaning
Hidden pain; secret sorrow.
Literally: Dard (pain) plus nihan (hidden).
How Iqbal uses it
Iqbal ends Tarana-e-Hindi confessing that no one in the world is his true confidant, so none can know his dard-e-nihan, the hidden ache of a visionary whose deepest grief stays unshared.
See it in the verse
Dard-e-nihan in Iqbal’s couplets
Ho mera kaam ghareebon ki himayat karna
Dard-mandon se zaeefon se mohabbat karna
Dard-mandon se zaeefon se mohabbat karna
Let my work be to defend the poor — to love the suffering and the weak.
Justice · Humility · Love
Khudi ka sirr-e-nihan La Ilaha Illallah
Khudi hai taeg fasan La Ilaha Illallah
Khudi hai taeg fasan La Ilaha Illallah
The hidden secret of the self is 'There is no god but God'; the self is the sword, and that declaration is the whetstone that sharpens it.
Selfhood · Self-Knowledge · Courage
Tamanna dard-e-dil ki ho to kar khidmat faqeeron ki
Nahin milta ye gauhar baadshahon ke khazeenon mein
Nahin milta ye gauhar baadshahon ke khazeenon mein
If you long for a heart that truly feels, then serve the poor and the humble; this jewel is not found in the treasuries of kings.
Humility · Love · Self-Knowledge
Mata-e-be-baha hai dard-o-soz-e-arzumandi
Maqam-e-bandagi de kar na lun shan-e-khudawandi
Maqam-e-bandagi de kar na lun shan-e-khudawandi
The ache and fire of longing is a priceless treasure; I would not trade the striving of a seeker even for the splendour of a master.
Aspiration · Restlessness · Self-Knowledge