Word Meaning
ख़ूनीं-नवा
ḳhūnīñ-navā
hiadjective
Meaning
Singing a bloody, sorrowful tune; uttering painful, grief-stricken laments.
Detailed Meaning
A Persian compound formed of 'khunin' (bloody/blood-drenched) and 'nawa' (voice, tone, or song). In classical Urdu poetry, it describes a singer, bird, or cry that is imbued with extreme anguish and heartbreak. In Ghalib's verse, it characterizes the lip of the rose, where the redness of petals evokes a blood-stained cry of doomed existence.
Etymology
Persian: compound of 'khūnīn' (blood-stained) + 'nawā' (voice, melody).
Usage
Commonly employed in ghazals as an evocative epithet for the anguished lover or the captive nightingale crying out in pain.
Examples
the blood-lamenting bird of the garden
a voice steeped in tragic song
Synonyms
दर्द-अंगेज़नौहा-ख़्वाँनाला-संज
Related Words
नवाख़ूनींनाला-कशफ़रियाद