गा

Meaning

Sometimes; at times; a poetic abbreviation of the Persian 'gāh'.

Detailed Meaning

In classical Persian and Urdu poetry, 'gā' is an apocopated form of 'gāh' (meaning time or turn), often used correlatively with 'gahe' to mean 'sometimes... sometimes...' or 'now... now...'. In this couplet by Mir Taqi Mir, it pairs with 'gahe' to depict alternate states of anguish: at one moment the heart is scorched with a wound, and at another the liver turns to blood.

Etymology

Persian (shortened from گاہ / gāh, meaning time, place, or turn).

Usage

Commonly employed in classical ghazal as an archaic or metrical contraction of 'gāh', especially in paired constructions ('gahe... ga...') to contrast shifting moods or afflictions.

Examples

Synonyms

Related Words