Word Meaning
पोछिए
pochhiye
Meaning
Ask or inquire (often used rhetorically with negation to mean 'do not ask').
Detailed Meaning
In classical Urdu verse, 'pochhiye' (standard 'pūchhiye') is the polite imperative or subjunctive form of the verb 'pūchhnā' (to ask or inquire). In the cited couplet, coupled with the negative particle 'na' ('na pochhiye'), it functions as a rhetorical trope expressing that the devastation of the heart upon separation is far beyond words. It conveys an unspoken intensity of grief akin to a city that has been thoroughly plundered.
Etymology
Sanskrit 'pṛcchati' (पृच्छति) via Prakrit 'pucchai', developing into Hindi/Urdu 'pūchhnā' (پوچھنا).
Usage
Commonly paired with 'na' in ghazals ('na pūchhiye') to denote inexpressible sorrow, astonishment, or extremity of passion.
Examples
Do not ask of me the plight of this broken heart.
What can one ask of what transpired in that gathering?