Word Meaning
आँसुओं
aansuon
Meaning
Tears (oblique plural form); droplets shed from the eyes in weeping.
Detailed Meaning
In this couplet, 'आँसुओं' refers to tears whose drying up represents the total loss of vitality and visual light, paralleled to oil burning out in an extinguishing lamp. Classical poets often conceive of tears as the vital liquid or radiant essence fueling the spirit of the aggrieved lover. Their depletion marks the tragic finality of grief where even mourning can no longer sustain itself.
Etymology
From Sanskrit अश्रु (aśru), through Prakrit अस्सु (assu), yielding Hindustani आँसू (ā̃sū).
Usage
In the ghazal tradition, tears are central to the landscape of ishq, functioning as both an expression of sorrow and a literal physical proof of the lover's sincerity.
Examples
Drowning in a sea of tears
The traces left behind by bitter tears