नियस्ताँ

Meaning

A reed-bed, reed-thicket, or forest of reeds

Detailed Meaning

In Persian and Urdu poetics, 'nayastaan' refers to a grove or bed of reeds from which flutes ('nay') are cut. In this couplet by Ghalib, taking a straw between the teeth (a traditional gesture of surrender or entreaty) fails to suppress the lover's lament; rather, that humble straw becomes akin to a fibre torn from a whole reed-bed of wailing flutes. It symbolizes an unending source of lamentation and music.

Etymology

Persian 'nay' (reed/flute) + '-istaan' (place/land suffix).

Usage

Famously associated with Rumi's opening lines of the Masnavi, in Urdu ghazal it evokes homesickness, separation, and the eternal wailing of love.

Examples

Synonyms

Related Words