Persian · adjective · Love & Longing
Mah-rukh
मह-रुख़
said mah-rukh
also written: Mahrukh
Meaning
Moon-faced; one whose face is radiant as the moon.
Literally: moon-faced
How Iqbal uses it
Mah-rukh is the classic epithet of the luminous-faced beloved; the moon-face stands for a radiance that the lover, like the night, orbits.
See it in the verse
Mah-rukh 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