Word Meaning
जनाज़ा
janaaza
Meaning
A funeral bier, the dead body prepared for burial, or the funeral procession.
Detailed Meaning
In Urdu poetics, 'janaaza' denotes the bier bearing a corpse as well as the public funeral rites. In this couplet by Ghalib, it signifies the embarrassing public spectacle of burial rites; drowning would have preserved anonymity, saving the lover from the shame of having his bier lifted before the world. It often embodies the poignant conclusion of a lover's tragic and humiliated existence.
Etymology
Arabic جِنَازَة / جَنَازَة (janāzah/jināzah), from the root j-n-z meaning to cover, veil, or conceal.
Usage
In the classical ghazal, the lifting of the lover's bier ('janaza uthna') is a common trope symbolizing tragic martyrdom in love and public humiliation.
Examples
The lover's bier passed silently through her street.
Why lift the bier when the heart died long ago?