Persian · noun · Love & Longing
Maah-Paara
माह-पारा
said maah-paa-raa
also written: Mahpara
Meaning
A fragment of the moon; a beauty radiant as a piece of moonlight.
Literally: piece of the moon
How Iqbal uses it
The maah-paara is so beautiful she seems a shard broken off the moon; the epithet heightens the lunar imagery of the radiant beloved.
See it in the verse
Maah-Paara in Iqbal’s couplets
Uruj-e-adam-e-khaki se anjum sahme jaate hain
Ki ye toota hua tara mah-e-kamil na ban jaaye
Ki ye toota hua tara mah-e-kamil na ban jaaye
The stars take fright at the rise of the human being of dust — afraid that this broken star may yet become a full moon.
Aspiration · Hope · Selfhood
Mah o sitara se aage maqam hai jis ka
Wo musht-e-khak abhi aawargan-e-rah mein hai
Wo musht-e-khak abhi aawargan-e-rah mein hai
The handful of dust whose true station lies beyond moon and stars is still wandering, lost, on the road.
Aspiration · Selfhood · Awakening