Word Meaning
दामन-गीर
daaman-geer
Meaning
Clinging to the hem, seeking protection or demanding justice; holding accountable.
Detailed Meaning
In Persian and Urdu poetry, 'daaman-geer' literally denotes one who seizes or clings to someone's hem or skirt. Metaphorically, it implies either desperate supplication for refuge or an insistence on legal and moral redress, as on the Day of Judgment. In this couplet, it describes fragments of the heart clinging desperately to the eyelashes for support amid a flood of tears, just as a drowning person clutches at flotsam.
Etymology
Persian compound formed from 'dāman' (skirt, hem) and 'gīr' (present stem of 'giriftan', to grasp/seize).
Usage
Commonly employed in the ghazal tradition either as an image of a lover seeking asylum or the innocent blood of the slain demanding justice from the beloved.
Examples
My shed blood will hold you accountable on Judgment Day.
The helpless wanderer clings to the hem of grace.