Word Meaning
आवारा-परी
aawaara-parii
Meaning
A wandering fairy; a restless, roaming celestial beauty or elusive beloved.
Detailed Meaning
In Urdu poetics, the compound evokes an ethereal figure or beloved who wanders restlessly without settling. In this verse, it describes an enchanted and obsessive state where someone roams aimlessly after catching a mere glimpse of the beloved's shadow. It blends the unearthly grace of a fairy ('pari') with the rootless wandering ('awara') of a love-struck devotee.
Etymology
Persian compound formed from 'āwāra' (vagrant, wandering) and 'parī' (fairy, celestial nymph).
Usage
In the ghazal tradition, it serves as a metaphor for elusive beauty or a lover bewitched into perpetual vagrancy.
Examples
Like a wandering fairy, she drifted through the garden of dreams.
His heart became an awara-pari, roaming aimlessly in longing.