पा-ब-रिकाब

Meaning

Foot in the stirrup; ready to depart; fleeting or transitory.

Detailed Meaning

Literally meaning having a foot placed in the stirrup, this idiom indicates someone poised for an immediate departure. In poetry, it is metaphorically employed to describe the transience and ephemeral nature of worldly life or fleeting beauty. In Iqbal's couplet, it highlights the short-lived, transient nature of Western material splendors.

Etymology

Persian compound of pā (foot) + ba (in/to) + rikāb (stirrup, Arabic loanword).

Usage

Often used in classical ghazals as an evocative metaphor for the fleeting fragility of life or the beloved's imminent departure.

Examples

Synonyms

Related Words