Word Meaning
ख़िताब
khitāb
Meaning
Address, speech, title, or the act of speaking directly to someone.
Detailed Meaning
In classical Urdu poetry, 'khitāb' denotes direct conversation, verbal address, or engagement in speech with another. In this couplet, it is paired antithetically or complementarily with 'i'tāb' (censure/reproach), conveying how every changing moment of speech by the beloved turns into an address or an admonition. It conveys both the honor of being spoken to and the intensity of that dialogue.
Etymology
Arabic, from the trilateral root kh-t-b (خ-ط-ب), relating to addressing, delivering a speech, or conversing.
Usage
In the ghazal, 'khitāb' frequently contrasts with silence or wrath ('i'tāb'), capturing the lover's yearning merely to be spoken to by the beloved.
Examples
Sheer grace was in that gentle address.
His constant address turned into reproach.