Word Meaning
ख़ुर्शीद
khursheed
Meaning
The sun; radiant celestial body.
Detailed Meaning
In classical Persian and Urdu poetry, 'khursheed' signifies the sun, representing supreme brightness, majesty, and celestial elevation. In this couplet, it is employed in a grand hyperbolic metaphor where the radiant sun is portrayed merely as a humble sweeper carrying a broom and basket to clean the beloved's threshold at dawn. It emphasizes the unmatched grandeur of the beloved before whom even the sun acts as an ordinary servant.
Etymology
From Persian 'خورشید' (khorshēd), from Middle Persian 'hvarxšēd', derived from Avestan 'hvarə-xšaēta-' (the radiant or shining sun).
Usage
In the ghazal, khursheed is frequently contrasted with the 'zarra' (a humble speck of dust) to depict the vast difference in status between the beloved and the lover.
Examples
Like a particle dancing before the radiant sun
The rising sun dispelling the sorrow of night