Word Meaning
तरफ़-दार
taraf-dār
Meaning
A partisan, supporter, or one taking the side of someone or something.
Detailed Meaning
In classical Urdu poetry, 'taraf-dar' signifies an ally, partisan, or adherent who embraces a particular cause or party. In this couplet, it describes the desolate heart as an active ally or eager receiver of every form of grief and torment. It conveys the tragic predisposition of the lover's heart to court suffering rather than evade it.
Etymology
Arabic 'taraf' (side, direction) combined with the Persian agentive suffix '-dar' (holder, keeper).
Usage
In the ghazal tradition, it is often employed to contrast the lover's willing affinity for pain against the beloved's indifference or cruelty.
Examples
My sorrowful heart became a supporter of its own torment.
In the court of love, no one was a partisan to my cause.