Word Meaning
ख़सान
khasaan
Meaning
Straws, weeds, or metaphorically worthless, vile, and lowly people.
Detailed Meaning
In Persian and Urdu poetry, 'khasān' is the plural of 'khas' (meaning straw, dry reed, or rubbish), frequently used metaphorically for base, worthless, and unreliable people. In this couplet, it represents the fickle and insincere inhabitants of the world, contrasting their instability with the virtue of steadfast loyalty. Just as dry straws cannot remain anchored anywhere, such degraded souls are incapable of true faithfulness.
Etymology
Persian: plural of 'khas' (خس - straw, reed, rubbish; metaphorically a vile or contemptible person).
Usage
In classical Urdu ghazals, it is employed as a metaphor for insincere, base, or fickle people from whom fidelity is an impossible expectation.
Examples
Expect no loyalty from the scattered straws (khasan) of this world.
The wind easily sweeps away the khasan who possess no weight of character.