Persian · noun · The Tavern & the Cup
Mai-e-Ishq
मय-ए-इश्क़
said MAI-e-ISHQ
also written: mai-e-ishq
Meaning
The 'wine of love'; the intoxicating draught of Divine love poured for the lover by the cup-bearer.
Literally: the wine of love
How Iqbal uses it
Iqbal's wine of love is the draught that kindles the self, the love-drink that makes the heart bold and aflame.
See it in the verse
Mai-e-Ishq in Iqbal’s couplets
Sitaron se aage jahan aur bhi hain
Abhi ishq ke imtihan aur bhi hain
Abhi ishq ke imtihan aur bhi hain
Beyond the stars there are worlds yet — there are still more trials of love to come.
Aspiration · Love · Restlessness
Dayar-e-ishq mein apna maqam paida kar
Naya zamana, naye subh-o-sham paida kar
Naya zamana, naye subh-o-sham paida kar
In the realm of love, create your own standing — bring a new age into being, new mornings and new evenings of your own.
Aspiration · Action · Love
Tere ishq ki inteha chahta hoon
Meri sadgi dekh, kya chahta hoon
Meri sadgi dekh, kya chahta hoon
I long for the very furthest reach of your love — look at my simplicity, look at what I dare to ask for.
Love · Aspiration
Khudi ho ilm se mohkam to ghairat-e-Jibril
Agar ho ishq se mohkam to soor-e-Israfil
Agar ho ishq se mohkam to soor-e-Israfil
A selfhood made firm by knowledge can rival the angel of revelation; a selfhood made firm by love can rival the trumpet that wakes the world.
Selfhood · Love · Action
Aql-o-dil-o-nigah ka murshid-e-awwaleen hai ishq
Ishq na ho to shar-o-deen butkada-e-tasavvurat
Ishq na ho to shar-o-deen butkada-e-tasavvurat
Love is the first teacher of intellect, heart and sight. Without love, even law and faith become only a temple of empty ideas.
Love · Self-Knowledge
Nigah-e-ishq dil-e-zinda ki talash mein hai
Shikar-e-murda sazawar-e-shahbaz nahin
Shikar-e-murda sazawar-e-shahbaz nahin
The gaze of love is searching for a living heart — dead quarry is not worthy of the royal falcon.
Love · The Falcon · Awakening
Related words
ARABIC
Saqi
The cup-bearer who pours the wine in the assembly; in Sufi verse a beloved figure and emblem of the Divine that dispenses the wine of grace and love.
ARABIC
Sukr-e-Ishq
The intoxication of love; the rapturous drunkenness of the heart overwhelmed by Divine love.
PERSIAN
Maikhaana
The tavern or wine-house; in Sufi symbolism, the place of mystical gathering and divine intoxication, set against the mosque and seminary.