Word Meaning
फिरता
phirtā
Meaning
Wandering, roaming, or keeping at a distance; avoiding.
Detailed Meaning
In classical Urdu poetry, 'phirnā' denotes wandering restlessly or moving around, often reflecting emotional turmoil. In this couplet, 'phirtā hai dūr hī dūr' conveys the beloved intentionally roaming afar and keeping a careful distance from the lover. This painful aloofness becomes the proximate cause or occasion for the lover's departing life.
Etymology
Inherited through Prakrit 'फिरइ' (phiraï), traceable to the Sanskrit root 'स्फुर्' (sphur, to tremble, dart, or stir).
Usage
Frequently used in ghazals to describe either the deranged lover wandering in desolation or the indifferent beloved circling afar to evade the lover.
Examples
wandering in despair through the lanes of the beloved
staying aloof and roaming far from the lover