Word Meaning
ख़म्याज़ा-कश
Khamyāza-kash
Meaning
One who stretches arms in yearning; one longing for an embrace.
Detailed Meaning
Literally describes one who yawns or stretches their arms, often signifying languor or the restless craving of intoxication. In Persian and Urdu poetic conventions, stretching the arms serves as a metaphor for opening one's arms wide to embrace a lover. In this couplet, it refers to the eager lovers who desperately yearn to embrace the beloved the moment the robe's fastening is undone.
Etymology
Persian compound of 'khamyāzah' (stretching the body, yawning) and 'kash' (from kashīdan, to pull or draw).
Usage
In classical ghazal imagery, this compound ingeniously fuses the physical act of stretching or yawning with the lover's outstretched arms pining for an embrace.
Examples
khamyaza-kash of long-awaited union
waiting with arms outstretched in yearning