ना-कसी

Meaning

Worthlessness, insignificance, unworthiness, or lack of standing and capability.

Detailed Meaning

In classical Urdu poetry, 'nā-kasī' denotes the state of being a nonentity, devoid of nobility, capability, or personal merit. In this couplet, it expresses the speaker's intense shame and self-deprecation at their own utter insignificance and helplessness under the cruelty of hostile fate. This humiliation is so overpowering that it makes the poet wish to sink into the earth.

Etymology

Persian (compound of negative prefix 'nā' + 'kas' meaning person/somebody + abstract noun suffix 'ī').

Usage

Commonly invoked in the ghazal tradition as a trope of self-effacement, helplessness, and profound modesty before fate or the beloved.

Examples

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Related Words