Word Meaning
ख़ुमार
khumaar
Meaning
Intoxication, hangover, or languor resulting from drinking or passion.
Detailed Meaning
Khumar refers to the lingering stupor, hangover, or sweet drowsiness that follows drinking or ecstasy. In classical poetry, it often represents the languid, melancholic afterglow of love and unfulfilled longing. In this couplet by Ghalib, it evokes a state of weariness and stretching languor that mirrors the shore's perpetual, weary yawning.
Etymology
Arabic (خُمَار / khumār), from the root kh-m-r relating to wine, covering, or intoxication.
Usage
In classical Urdu ghazals, 'khumar' is often coupled with the beloved's languid eyes ('chashm-e-makhmur') or the poet's lingering melancholy after a night of tavern reverie.
Examples
The morning arrived with the heavy languor of last night's wine.
His eyes still carry the sweet intoxication of love.