Word Meaning
अरक़-फ़िशाँ
araq-fishāñ
Meaning
Dripping or exuding sweat; perspiration-shedding.
Detailed Meaning
A compound adjective meaning shedding, dripping, or exuding perspiration. In Urdu poetry, it conventionally describes the flushed face or forehead of the beloved, comparing sweat droplets to dew on rose petals. In this couplet, it describes the delicate, perspiring face whose moisture is likened to the natural essence (gulāb) of a rose.
Etymology
Arabic 'araq' (عرق - sweat, distillation) combined with the Persian present participle suffix 'fishān' (فشاں - scattering/shedding, from fishāndan).
Usage
Frequently paired with 'rū' (face) or 'jabīñ' (forehead) in ghazals to evoke the modesty, heat of emotion, or radiant freshness of the beloved.
Examples
Do not wipe the perspiration-shedding cheek so harshly.
The sweat-dripping brow shone under the modest veil.