Word Meaning
आज़ार
aazaar
Meaning
Affliction, disease, torment, distress, or suffering.
Detailed Meaning
In classical Persian and Urdu poetry, 'aazaar' signifies physical malady, emotional distress, or the pain of affliction. In this couplet, it represents a state of torment and emotional sickness born out of constant yearning and the pangs of separation. It evokes how persistent internal fretting wears down the spirit until it turns into a tangible illness.
Etymology
Persian 'āzār' (آزار), derived from the verb 'āzūrdan' (آزردن), meaning to vex, injure, afflict, or pain.
Usage
In the ghazal tradition, 'aazaar' is frequently used to personify the painful, consuming illness caused by love and separation.
Examples
Dil ko aazaar-e-ulfat ne gher liya (The affliction of love surrounded the heart)
Us be-dard ke aazaar se chhutkara na mila (There was no escape from that callous one's torment)