Word Meaning
ख़ूँ-अफ़शानी
khun-afshani
Meaning
Shedding or scattering of blood, especially weeping tears of blood.
Detailed Meaning
In classical Urdu poetry, 'khun-afshani' signifies the spilling, spraying, or shedding of blood, typically manifested through the lover weeping tears of blood. In this couplet, it describes the relentless bleeding of the lover's eyes driven by the torment of separation, until they turn into a fountain of gore. It represents the height of visceral, agonizing grief caused by yearning.
Etymology
Persian compound formed from 'khun' (blood) and 'afshani' (scattering/sprinkling, from the verb afshandan).
Usage
Commonly used in ghazal poetry as an exaggerated trope (mubaligha) to illustrate tears of blood caused by the unbearable agony of separation.
Examples
The weeping eye was marked by relentless blood-shedding.
A scene of sorrow characterized by the scattering of blood.