Persian · noun · Iqbal's Emblems

Zaagh

ज़ाग़
said zaagh
also written: Kawwa
Meaning

The crow or raven, a black scavenging bird associated with the base and the lowly.

Usage & notes

The zaagh is the foil to the falcon: where the eagle hunts living prey from the heights, the crow feeds on carrion and clings to the ground. Iqbal uses it for the mean, appetite-driven self that lacks the dignity and high aspiration of the predator bird.