Word Meaning
ज़िंदानियों
zindaniyon
Meaning
Prisoners, captives, or inmates (plural oblique form).
Detailed Meaning
Refers to captives or inmates confined to a dungeon or prison. In this couplet, the speaker suffers from such chaotic mental distress that he enviously regards the settled confinement and stillness of chained prisoners as a form of restful comfort. It conveys a psychological state so tumultuous that physical incarceration seems peaceful by comparison.
Etymology
Persian 'zindān' (prison) + adjectival/agentive suffix '-ī' (yielding zindānī, prisoner) + Hindustani plural oblique suffix '-õ'.
Usage
In classical Urdu poetry, zindānī often symbolizes the tragic yet stationary lover, contrasting with the wanderer lost in desolation.
Examples
Hearing the midnight clanking of the prisoners' heavy chains.
A quiet grief enveloped the weary captives of the dungeon.