Persian · noun · Time, Fate & the Cosmos
Gumbad-e-Gardun
गुम्बद-ए-गर्दूँ
said gum-bad-e-gar-dun
Meaning
The dome of the revolving heavens; the sky pictured as a turning cupola.
Literally: dome of the wheeling sky
How Iqbal uses it
The turning dome of the firmament is, in Iqbal, the old fatalistic cosmos that the free self refuses to be imprisoned beneath.
See it in the verse
Gumbad-e-Gardun in Iqbal’s couplets
Nahin tera nasheman qasr-e-sultani ke gumbad par
Tu shaheen hai, basera kar paharon ki chattanon mein
Tu shaheen hai, basera kar paharon ki chattanon mein
Your nest is not on the dome of a royal palace. You are a falcon — make your dwelling on the rocks of the mountains.
The Falcon · Freedom · Courage
Samjhega zamana teri aankhon ke ishaare
Dekhenge tujhe dur se gardun ke sitare
Dekhenge tujhe dur se gardun ke sitare
The age itself will read the signals of your eyes; the stars of the sky will watch you from afar.
Aspiration · Selfhood · Hope