Persian · phrase · The Heart & the Body
Shaakh-e-Nihaal-e-Gham
शाख़-ए-निहाल-ए-ग़म
said shaakh-e-ni-haal-e-gham
also written: shaakh e nihaal e gham, shaakh-e-nihal-e-gham
Meaning
The branch of the sapling of sorrow; grief pictured as a growing tree, from Ghalib's celebrated line.
Literally: shaakh (branch) + nihaal (sapling) + gham (sorrow)
See it in the verse
Shaakh-e-Nihaal-e-Gham in Iqbal’s couplets
Agar kho gaya ek nasheman to kya gham
Maqamat-e-aah-o-faghan aur bhi hain
Maqamat-e-aah-o-faghan aur bhi hain
If one nest has been lost — what is there to grieve? There are other stations of sighing and lament still ahead.
Adversity · Hope · Restlessness
Main shakh-e-tak hun meri ghazal hai mera samar
Mere samar se mai-e-lala-fam paida kar
Mere samar se mai-e-lala-fam paida kar
I am a branch of the vine, my song is my fruit; from that fruit press out the tulip-red wine.
Action · Aspiration · Youth
Kabhi chhodi hui manzil bhi yaad aati hai rahi ko
Khatak si hai jo sine mein gham-e-manzil na ban jae
Khatak si hai jo sine mein gham-e-manzil na ban jae
Sometimes the traveller remembers even the destination he left behind; I fear this faint ache in my chest may grow into grief for a settled place.
Restlessness · Aspiration
Tumhari tahzib apne khanjar se aap hi khud-kushi karegi
Jo shakh-e-nazuk pe aashiyana banega na-paedar hoga
Jo shakh-e-nazuk pe aashiyana banega na-paedar hoga
Your civilisation will take its own life with its own dagger; a nest built on a fragile branch will never last.
Adversity · Self-Knowledge · Justice