Meaning
The pleasure of pain, the strange sweetness a longing heart finds in its own suffering.
Literally: the relish of pain
How Iqbal uses it
Lazzat-e-dard captures the paradox at the centre of mystical love, that the heart relishes the very ache that wounds it. Iqbal embraces this sweet pain, for the suffering of longing is a treasure the contented heart never knows.
See it in the verse
Lazzat-e-dard in Iqbal’s couplets
Khudi ki shokhi-o-tundi mein kibr-o-naaz nahin
Jo naaz ho bhi to be-lazzat-e-niyaz nahin
Jo naaz ho bhi to be-lazzat-e-niyaz nahin
There is no arrogance or vanity in the spirited fierceness of selfhood — and any pride it does carry is never without the sweetness of humility.
Selfhood · Humility
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