Word Meaning
नाला-सराई
nālā-sarā'ī
Meaning
Lamentation, wailing, or mournful singing aloud.
Detailed Meaning
'Nala-sarai' refers to the act of vocal lamentation, wailing, or reciting sorrowful complaints. In classical Urdu poetry, it conventionally evokes the nocturnal weeping of the lover or the impassioned, sorrowful song of the nightingale longing for the rose. In this couplet, it describes the nightingale's persistent lamenting that resounds all through the night.
Etymology
Persian compound of 'nāla' (groan, cry, lamentation) + 'sarā'ī' (act of singing/reciting, from sarāyīdan).
Usage
In classical ghazals, 'nala-sarai' typically conveys the unceasing nocturnal mourning of the captive lover or the bulbul.
Examples
The sorrowful lamentation of the night of separation
The garden echoed with the nightingale's wailing