Meaning
The dew on the rose; the morning dew-drop resting on the flower.
Literally: dew of the rose
How Iqbal uses it
The trembling dew on the petal, beautiful yet doomed to vanish at sunrise; the shabnam-e-gul is a favourite emblem of fragile, fleeting beauty.
See it in the verse
Shabnam-e-gul in Iqbal’s couplets
Jis se jigar-e-lala mein thandak ho wo shabnam
Dariyaon ke dil jis se dahal jayen wo toofan
Dariyaon ke dil jis se dahal jayen wo toofan
To be the dew that cools the heart of the tulip — and the storm that makes the hearts of rivers tremble.
Courage · Leadership · Love
Samundar se mile pyaase ko shabnam
Bakhili hai ye razzaqi nahin hai
Bakhili hai ye razzaqi nahin hai
To give a thirsty soul a single drop of dew from a whole ocean — that is stinginess, not generosity.
Justice · Humility
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
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