Word Meaning
क़ैस
Qais
Meaning
The legendary lover Majnun; quintessential archetype of an ardent, maddened lover.
Detailed Meaning
Qais ibn al-Mulawwah, famously known as Majnun ('the madman'), is the iconic lover in Arabic and Persian-Urdu romance who roamed the desert for his beloved Laila. In this couplet, Ghalib presents Qais as the solitary lover capable of stepping up to the immense trials of love, contrasting his boundless passion with the desert that seemed constricted.
Etymology
Arabic (قَيْس), historically a prominent Arab personal and tribal name meaning 'measure' or 'firmness'.
Usage
In classical Urdu ghazal, Qais is universally invoked as the supreme trope for obsessive romantic devotion and tragic exile in the wilderness.
Examples
Qais wandered barefoot through the scorched desert sands.
The relentless passion of Qais set the benchmark for lovers.