Arabic · noun · Poetry, Speech & Art
Taswir
तस्वीर
said tas-VEER
also written: Tasveer, tasvir, tasveer-e
Meaning
A picture, image, or portrait; the act of depicting.
Literally: picture, image, portrait
How Iqbal uses it
Tasveer is the picture — and in the love lyric, the cherished image or portrait of the beloved that the parted lover gazes on in place of the living face. He talks to it, weeps over it, keeps it against his heart. The image is both comfort and torment: it holds the beloved present and yet, being only a likeness, sharpens the ache of the real absence it stands in for.
See it in the verse
Taswir in Iqbal’s couplets
Wajud-e-zan se hai tasveer-e-kaenat mein rang
Isi ke saaz se hai zindagi ka soz-e-darun
Isi ke saaz se hai zindagi ka soz-e-darun
It is the presence of woman that gives colour to the portrait of the universe — from her instrument comes the inner fire of life itself.
Love · Unity · Humility
Khol kar aankhen mere aaeena-e-guftar mein dekh
Aane wale daur ki dhundli si ek tasveer dekh
Aane wale daur ki dhundli si ek tasveer dekh
Open your eyes and look into the mirror of my words — see the faint, blurred picture of the age that is coming.
Awakening · Hope · Leadership
Related words
ARABIC
Musawwir
A painter or image-maker; as a divine name, the Fashioner of all forms.
ARABIC
Naqsh
A design, pattern, engraving, or picture.
ARABIC
Surat
Face, countenance, form, or appearance.
PERSIAN
Paikar
Form, figure, or bodily frame.
PERSIAN
Yaad
Memory, remembrance.
ARABIC
Hijr
Separation, parting from the beloved; the ache of being apart.