Word Meaning
निगारे
nigāre
Meaning
A beloved, a sweetheart, or an idol-like beauty.
Detailed Meaning
In classical Persian and Urdu poetry, 'nigār' literally means a portrait or painting, used metaphorically to describe a sculpted, visually stunning beloved. The suffixed 'e' is the Persian yā-e-vahdat (or yā-e-tankīr), rendering the sense of 'a beloved' or 'any sweetheart'. In this couplet, the poet forgives the moralizing preachers because they have never experienced the agony of entrusting their heart to any beloved.
Etymology
Persian 'nigār' (painting, portrait, sweetheart) with the Persian indefinite suffix 'yā-e-tankīr' (indefinite / single).
Usage
Frequently formed using the Persian indefinite suffix in ghazals to evoke an archetypal or unnamed beloved.
Examples
in the hands of a beloved
longing for a sweetheart