Word Meaning
तल्ख़ी-कश
talkhi-kash
Meaning
One who endures or swallows bitterness; a sufferer of hardship.
Detailed Meaning
In Urdu poetics, 'talkhi-kash' describes an individual accustomed to drinking from the cup of grief or enduring the bitter tribulations of life and unrequited love. In Mir's couplet, it marks the afflicted, naive lover who has suffered so deeply that he misinterprets the lethal glitter of the sword (ab-e-tegh) as pleasant drinking water (ab-e-gawara). It embodies the poet's psychological state of being inured to pain.
Etymology
Persian compound formed from 'talkhī' (bitterness, from 'talkh') and the agentive suffix '-kash' (from 'kashīdan', meaning to draw, endure, or drink).
Usage
A classical poetic trope depicting the long-suffering lover who regards pain, venom, and bitterness as their natural sustenance.
Examples
The bitter-endurer sought no sweet wine in this desolate tavern.
Accustomed to sorrow, the bitter-endurer smiled even at tyranny.