है मिरे शोख़ की बालीदा वो काफ़िर आँखें जिस के हम चश्म ज़रा नर्गिस-ए-बादाम न हो
— Bahadur Shah Zafar
Meaning

My playful beloved's captivating eyes are so grand and fully grown that even the almond-shaped narcissus flower cannot equal them.

Explanation

In this delightful couplet, the poet is utterly mesmerized by the captivating, mischievous eyes of his beloved. In classical poetry, the almond-shaped narcissus blossom is the ultimate gold standard of intoxicating beauty, yet the poet declares that even this flower falls far short of being their equal. There is also a clever wordplay on 'ham-chashm'—meaning both a peer or rival, and literally 'sharing the same eyes'—suggesting that nature itself surrenders before the spellbinding gaze of the beloved.

Interpretation note: meanings and explanations may be AI-assisted and should not replace a primary text or scholarly edition. See the editorial policy.

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