Persian · noun · Poetry, Speech & Art

Nawa

नवा

said na-WAA

Meaning

Sound, melody, song, or the impassioned cry of a bird or poet.

Literally: song; melody; voice; cry

How Iqbal uses it

Nawa is song, melody, or the bird's cry, the very title-image of his Bang-e-Dara (Call of the Caravan Bell) and Bal-e-Jibril tradition. Iqbal makes nawa an instrument of awakening: the cry that pierces a people's slumber and summons them to action. A song that does not stir the spirit is, for him, mere noise.

See it in the verse

Nawa in Iqbal’s couplets

Faqir-e-rah ko bakhshe gae asrar-e-sultani
Baha meri nava ki daulat-e-parvez hai saqi

To the wayfaring beggar were granted the secrets of kingship; the price of my song is the whole treasure of Parvez.

Self-Knowledge · Humility · Selfhood

Related words

ARABIC

Naghma

A melody, tune or song.

PERSIAN

Baang

A cry, call, or loud sound; especially the call to prayer or the cock's crow.

PERSIAN

Faryaad

A cry for help; a complaint or appeal.

PERSIAN

Sukhan

Speech, discourse, and especially poetry; the poet's crafted word.

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