Word Meaning
तिमसाल
timsaal
Meaning
Picture, portrait, likeness, image, or reflection.
Detailed Meaning
In classical Urdu and Persian poetry, 'timsal' signifies a portrait, image, effigy, or mirrored likeness. In this couplet, it appears in the izafat compound 'jalwa-e-timsal', referring to the radiant reflection or visual manifestation of the beloved in the mirror. This dazzling display of beauty reduces the mirror's natural polish and particles to mere flitting motes of dust.
Etymology
Arabic (تمثال / timthāl), derived from the triconsonantal root m-th-l (م-ث-ل) relating to resemblance, likeness, or modeling.
Usage
Commonly employed in ghazals alongside motifs of the mirror (a'ina) and amazement (hairat) to signify the intangible reflection of divine or earthly beauty.
Examples
jalwa-e-timsal (the splendor of the reflection)
hairat-e-timsal (astonishment before an image)