Meaning
A large serpent; the great snake, as in the Quranic account of Moses' rod becoming a living serpent.
See it in the verse
Thu'ban in Iqbal’s couplets
Apne mann mein doob kar pa ja suragh-e-zindagi
Tu agar mera nahin banta na ban, apna to ban
Tu agar mera nahin banta na ban, apna to ban
Dive into your own self and find the trace of life. If you will not be mine, then do not — but at least become your own.
Selfhood · Self-Knowledge
Lab pe aati hai dua ban ke tamanna meri
Zindagi shama ki surat ho khudaya meri
Zindagi shama ki surat ho khudaya meri
My longing rises to my lips as a prayer: O God, may my life be like a candle's flame.
Hope · Aspiration
Uruj-e-adam-e-khaki se anjum sahme jaate hain
Ki ye toota hua tara mah-e-kamil na ban jaaye
Ki ye toota hua tara mah-e-kamil na ban jaaye
The stars take fright at the rise of the human being of dust — afraid that this broken star may yet become a full moon.
Aspiration · Hope · Selfhood
Zara taqdir ki gahraiyon mein dub ja tu bhi
Ki is jangah se main ban ke tegh-e-be-niyam aaya
Ki is jangah se main ban ke tegh-e-be-niyam aaya
Plunge, you too, into the depths of destiny; from that battlefield I emerged as a drawn, unsheathed sword.
Courage · Action · Adversity
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
Banaya ishq ne dariya-e-na-paida-karan mujh ko
Ye meri khud-nigah-dari mera sahil na ban jae
Ye meri khud-nigah-dari mera sahil na ban jae
Love has made me a river with no visible shore; I fear my own self-guarding may become the bank that hems me in.
Love · Restlessness · Freedom