Word Meaning
तर्जुमाँ
tarjumāñ
Meaning
An interpreter, spokesperson, translator, or expresser of hidden sentiments.
Detailed Meaning
In classical and philosophical Urdu poetry, 'tarjumān' designates an interpreter, medium, or spokesperson that gives voice to unspoken realities or sentiments. In this couplet, it raises the daring existential question of whether the sweet articulation and expressive manifestation of divine truth belongs to God or to the human poet reciting it. It implies that human speech acts as the expressive interpreter of cosmic and divine mystery.
Etymology
Arabic 'tarjumān' (ترجمان), derived from the root t-r-j-m (to translate, interpret).
Usage
In the ghazal tradition, sighs, tears, and poetry are frequently personified as a 'tarjumān' that betrays or explains the lover's hidden pain.
Examples
My silent tears became the interpreter of my heart's sorrow.
Poetry serves as the interpreter of a wounded spirit.