Is Said-e-teer-khurda Ko Tu Ne Kiya Na Zabh — Sheikh Ibrahim Zauq
Meaning
You did not slaughter this prey wounded by the arrow; in the end, writhing and writhing, it grew cold (died) right here.
Explanation
Imagine a bird struck by an arrow, lying wounded and helpless. The poet says to the beloved: you wounded this prey with your arrow, but then you never finished it off, never gave it a merciful end. Instead, you left it to suffer. And so, trembling and writhing in pain, it slowly grew cold right here and died on its own. This is a lover's complaint. The beloved cast a glance that wounded the heart, but offered neither union nor a clean release. The lover was left to languish in longing, dying slowly from the ache. There's a deep tenderness in this cruelty, and the couplet captures how unbearable it is to be left half-alive in love.
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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