Word Meaning
जफ़ाएँ
Jafaaein
Meaning
Acts of cruelty, oppression, harshness, or infidelity.
Detailed Meaning
'Jafaaein' is the feminine plural of 'jafā', denoting repeated acts of torment, callousness, or faithlessness inflicted by the beloved upon the lover. In this couplet, it refers to the beloved's past cruelties, the sudden remembrance of which evokes embarrassment and shame whenever an impulse of kindness toward the lover arises.
Etymology
From Arabic 'jafā' (جَفَاء, harshness, estrangement) combined with the Hindustani feminine plural ending '-en' (एं / یں).
Usage
In classical ghazal poetry, 'jafā' and its plural form 'jafā'en' serve as standard tropes contrasting the beloved's perpetual torment against the lover's unwavering devotion ('wafā').
Examples
We offered faithfulness, while they returned only cruelties.
Your cruelties too became dear to my heart.