Word Meaning
दिल-ख़स्ता
dil-khasta
Meaning
Heartbroken, afflicted, sorrowful, or someone suffering deep emotional pain.
Detailed Meaning
Literally meaning 'wounded of heart', it describes someone whose spirit is utterly battered by grief, unrequited love, or separation. In Ghalib's verse, it acts as an epithet for the anguished lover who fears he will not survive the agonizing night of parting. The term vividly blends imagery of physical wounding with profound emotional despair.
Etymology
Persian compound formed from 'dil' (heart) and 'khasta' (wounded, broken, weary, from the verb khastan).
Usage
In classical Urdu poetry, it is standardly employed as a self-referential descriptor for the tormented lover enduring separation.
Examples
A heavy sigh rose from the chest of the heartbroken wanderer.
None could console the wounded heart in that desolate night.