Word Meaning
परेशाँ-नज़री
pareshāñ-nazrī
Meaning
Wandering gaze, bewildered vision, or distracted and troubled looking.
Detailed Meaning
The term describes a restless, scattered, or bewildered state of looking, usually induced by astonishment, sorrow, or overwhelming beauty. In the given couplet, it portrays the mirror's helpless habit of casting an unsettled and dazzled reflection upon locking eyes with the beloved. It highlights the eye's inability to retain composure or fixity under intense emotion.
Etymology
Persian compound formed from 'pareshān' (scattered, distressed) and Arabic 'nazar' (vision, sight) with the Persian abstract noun suffix '-ī'.
Usage
In classical Urdu ghazal, it is frequently used to describe either the lover's distracted yearning or the mirror's bewildered awe before the beloved.
Examples
A wandering gaze that finds no stillness in beauty.
The mirror caught in habitual, troubled gazing.