Word Meaning
उम्मेद
ummeed
Meaning
Hope, expectation, or reliance on a future possibility.
Detailed Meaning
In classical Urdu poetry, it signifies the psychological anchor of hope or expectation that sustains human life. In this couplet, it represents the vital anticipation of surviving or being relieved, the absence of which signifies utter despair. The poet highlights a profound tragedy: while ordinary mortals live on hope, he is deprived even of the hope to survive.
Etymology
From Persian 'امید' (umīd / ummīd), signifying hope, expectation, or wish.
Usage
In ghazal poetry, it is constantly juxtaposed with 'यास' (despair) and 'हसरत' (unfulfilled longing) to portray the lover's vulnerable state.
Examples
A thousand hopes perished in the wait for dawn.
There remains no hope of comfort in this broken heart.