Word Meaning
कोह-कन
koh-kan
Meaning
Mountain-hewer or digger; the legendary lover Farhad.
Detailed Meaning
Literally meaning 'mountain-digger', this epithet specifically designates Farhad, the tragic lover who cut a canal through Mount Bisutun to win Shirin. In this couplet, Ghalib envisions Farhad's petrified, spark-filled eyelashes as the veins of hard granite during doomsday-like anticipation. It stands as a profound symbol of painstaking physical effort, artistic devotion, and tragic longing.
Etymology
Persian compound formed from 'kōh' (mountain) and 'kan' (stem of 'kandan', to dig, hew, or excavate).
Usage
In Urdu ghazal, Koh-kan is frequently contrasted with Majnun to distinguish laborious, active struggle from passive wilderness madness.
Examples
The echoes of Koh-kan's pickaxe upon the mountain.
Not even Koh-kan could soften the stone of destiny.