Word Meaning
दहानों
dahānoñ
Meaning
Mouths or openings (plural oblique form).
Detailed Meaning
In Urdu poetics, 'dahan' literally means the mouth, often symbolising speech, expression, or extreme silence. In this couplet, 'dahanon par mohar' (seals upon the mouths) evokes a deliberate or enforced silence among witnesses who refused to speak out against injustice or murder. It captures the tragedy of collective speechlessness in the face of tyranny.
Etymology
From Persian 'dahan' (دہن, meaning mouth or aperture) combined with the Urdu oblique plural suffix '-oñ' (وں).
Usage
Commonly used in classical ghazal imagery to denote sealed lips (enforced silence) or the impossibly tiny, delicate mouth of the beloved.
Examples
Seals of silence remained upon their mouths
Not a single lament rose from closed mouths