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
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