Word Meaning
काटे
kaate
Meaning
To pass or endure (time or night); to survive a painful duration.
Detailed Meaning
In this couplet, 'kaate' is used idiomatically to denote enduring or passing through a long, agonizing period, specifically the dark and dreary nights of the rainy season. While its literal root means 'to cut', Urdu poetry frequently employs it with 'shab' (night) or 'umr' (life) to express the heavy and painful dragging of time in separation. The verb captures both the effort and the torment involved in surviving the absence of the beloved.
Etymology
From Sanskrit कर्तयति (kartayati, 'cuts, divides'), developing through Prakrit into Hindustani काटना / کاٹنا.
Usage
In classical ghazal, it commonly pairs with nights of grief or separation (shab-e-hijr) to depict time as an agonizing burden that must be painfully endured.
Examples
How can one pass the dark night of separation?
A life spent counting stars cannot pass in peace.