Word Meaning
पेचताब
pech-tāb
Meaning
Twisting, contortion, restlessness, or intense inner turmoil and distress.
Detailed Meaning
Literally referring to twists, curls, and burning agitation, the compound conveys acute restlessness or inner torment. In this verse, it evokes the agonized twisting of the morning candle's fading wick as it flickers out in shame and exhaustion. Metaphorically, it reflects the poet's own suffocating distress and sense of futile effort.
Etymology
Persian compound formed from 'pēch' (twist, bend, curl) and 'tāb' (heat, burning, endurance, or turn).
Usage
In classical Urdu poetry, it frequently portrays the physical convulsions of grief, the agony of the dying candle, or the lover's sleepless turmoil.
Examples
Dile-e-muztar kā pech-tāb na pūchh
Gham-e-furqat meñ har nafas pech-tāb thā