Word Meaning
गालियों
gāliyoñ
Meaning
Abuses, insults, or harsh reproachful words (oblique plural).
Detailed Meaning
In classical Urdu poetry, 'gāli' refers to bitter reproaches, curses, or abusive remarks, typically hurled by the beloved or rivals. In this couplet, the speaker wonders how he will endure or answer the beloved's stinging abuses, having already exhausted all his memorized prayers and sweet entreaties on the gatekeeper. It highlights the customary paradox where even the lover finds a perverse honor or bittersweet intimacy in receiving harsh words from the beloved.
Etymology
Sanskrit 'गाली' (gālī, abuse/reproach) transmitted through Prakrit into Hindustani.
Usage
In the ghazal convention, the beloved's abuses are often welcomed masochistically by the lover as a form of attention superior to complete indifference.
Examples
Bearing abuses from the beloved's lips
To receive insults in return for prayers