Word Meaning
नामा-बर
nāma-bar
Meaning
A letter-bearer, courier, or messenger carrying communications between lovers.
Detailed Meaning
In classical Urdu ghazal, a 'nama-bar' is the courier or messenger tasked with secretly conveying love letters between the lover and the beloved. The figure often bears the brunt of the beloved's wrath or acts as an anxious intermediary. In this couplet, Mir laments that his ill fate was so severe that the beloved not only tore his letter to pieces but murdered the messenger as well.
Etymology
Persian compound formed from 'nāma' (letter, writing) + 'bar' (bearer, stem of burdan, to carry).
Usage
A stock figure in classical ghazal whose arrival, delay, or fate dramatizes the lover's suspense and the beloved's temperament.
Examples
The night passed in anxious wait for the messenger.
The messenger returned empty-handed from her street.