Word Meaning
कबाबों
kabābōṅ
Meaning
Kebabs; roasted meat, symbolizing worldly pleasure, hospitality, or feast.
Detailed Meaning
In classical Urdu poetry, 'kabāb' refers to roasted meat customarily consumed alongside wine in gatherings of revelry. In this couplet, it evokes sensual pleasure and abundance in worldly places like the tavern, contrasted satirically with the austerity and deprivation found in the mosque. Metaphorically in ghazals, the charred kebab also frequently represents a lover's scorched, suffering heart.
Etymology
From Arabic/Persian 'kabāb' (roasted or fried meat), inflected with the Hindustani oblique plural suffix '-ōṅ'.
Usage
In the ghazal tradition, it appears both as an emblem of tavern-side indulgence alongside wine and as a poignant metaphor for a heart scorched by passion.
Examples
Surrounded by wine and succulent kebabs
My roasted heart burned like a kebab in love's fire