Word Meaning
पूछने
poochhne
Meaning
To inquire after someone's welfare, condition, or health.
Detailed Meaning
In classical Urdu poetry, 'poochhne' often implies 'iyādat' (visiting a sick or dying person to inquire about their condition) rather than merely asking a query. In this couplet, the dying lover is overwhelmed that the beloved has arrived to ask after his health, drawn by the magnetism of love. It conveys tender solicitude and emotional consolation at the moment of death.
Etymology
Derived from Sanskrit प्रच्छ (pracch, 'to ask/inquire') via Prakrit पुच्छइ (pucchai) to Hindustani पूछना (pūchhnā).
Usage
In the ghazal tradition, the beloved arriving to inquire after the lover during the agony of death ('naza'') is a celebrated motif of bittersweet climax.
Examples
They came to ask after me only when life was slipping away.
No one arrived to inquire about the state of my broken heart.