Word Meaning
आशिक़ाँ
āshiqāñ
Meaning
Lovers; plural of lover (āshiq).
Detailed Meaning
In Persian and Urdu, 'āshiqāñ' is the Persian plural form of 'āshiq', meaning lovers or true devotees of love. In this couplet, it occurs in the compound construction 'āfat-e-dil-e-āshiqāñ' (a calamity to the hearts of lovers), depicting the beloved as someone whose beauty and cruelty torment all suitors alike. It represents the shared, collective misery and passion of romantic devotion.
Etymology
Arabic '‘āshiq' (lover, from the root ‘-sh-q meaning passionate love) combined with the Persian plural suffix '-ān'.
Usage
Commonly used in classical ghazals in Persian izafat constructions such as 'bazm-e-āshiqāñ' or 'dil-e-āshiqāñ' to signify lovers as a collective group.
Examples
The laments of lovers (āshiqāñ) echoed in the alley of the beloved.
There was no solace found in the assembly of lovers (āshiqāñ).