Word Meaning
आतिश-बाज़
aatish-baaz
Meaning
A pyrotechnician; fireworks maker or displayer.
Detailed Meaning
Literally denotes a pyrotechnician or a maker and seller of fireworks. In the couplet, the lover's house is compared to a fireworks shop (dukaan-e-aatish-baaz), which contains combustible material primed to erupt completely at the mere sight or heat of the fire-faced beloved. It encapsulates the poet's volatile vulnerability to the beloved's fiery charm.
Etymology
Persian: composed of 'aatish' (fire) and 'baaz' (agentive suffix from 'baakhtan', meaning player or doer).
Usage
In classical Urdu poetry, the shop or craft of the 'aatish-baaz' is traditionally used as an image of volatile combustibility waiting for a spark.
Examples
dukaan-e-aatish-baaz par ik sharar gir gaya
aatish-baaz ne shab ko chiraaghaan kar diya