Meaning
The peacock, the dazzling display-bird of the Indian garden famed for its plumage and dance.
How Iqbal uses it
The peacock figures resplendent beauty that can shade into vanity and outward show. In the symbolic garden it represents glory of appearance, set against the inner substance and silent power that Iqbal values.
See it in the verse
Mor in Iqbal’s couplets
Main tujh ko batata hun taqdir-e-umam kya hai
Shamsheer-o-sinan avval taaus-o-rubab aakhir
Shamsheer-o-sinan avval taaus-o-rubab aakhir
Let me tell you the fate of nations: the sword and the spear come first, the peacock and the lute come last.
Action · Adversity · Leadership
Safina-e-barg-e-gul bana lega qafila mor-e-na-tawan ka
Hazar maujon ki ho kashakash magar ye dariya se par hoga
Hazar maujon ki ho kashakash magar ye dariya se par hoga
The caravan of feeble ants will make a boat of a rose petal; though a thousand waves clash against it, this boat will cross the river.
Hope · Courage · Unity