Meaning
'Life of my longing' — an ardent poetic endearment for the beloved.
Literally: life of desire
See it in the verse
Meri-jaan-e-tamanna in Iqbal’s couplets
Lab pe aati hai dua ban ke tamanna meri
Zindagi shama ki surat ho khudaya meri
Zindagi shama ki surat ho khudaya meri
My longing rises to my lips as a prayer: O God, may my life be like a candle's flame.
Hope · Aspiration
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
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
Kise nahin hai tamanna-e-sarwari lekin
Khudi ki maut ho jis mein wo sarwari kya hai
Khudi ki maut ho jis mein wo sarwari kya hai
Who does not long for leadership? But what kind of leadership is it, if reaching it kills the self?
Leadership · Selfhood · Self-Knowledge