Meaning
Weariness and vexation of soul, the bruising fatigue that wears down the very spirit.
Literally: affliction of the soul
How Iqbal uses it
Koft-e-jaan is vexation that reaches past the heart into the soul, a soreness of spirit. It names the deep weariness of one harassed beyond mere annoyance into a fatigue of the self.
See it in the verse
Koft-e-jaan in Iqbal’s couplets
Ae jaan-e-padar nahin hai mumkin
Shaheen se tadaro ki ghulami
Shaheen se tadaro ki ghulami
O life of your father, it cannot be — the falcon will never serve the partridge.
The Falcon · Freedom · Selfhood
Nigah buland, sukhan dilnawaz, jaan pur-soz
Yahi hai rakht-e-safar mir-e-karvan ke liye
Yahi hai rakht-e-safar mir-e-karvan ke liye
A lofty gaze, speech that wins the heart, a soul that burns with feeling — this alone is the travelling kit a caravan's leader needs.
Leadership · Aspiration