Word Meaning
बे-कली
be-kalī
Meaning
Restlessness, agitation, unease, or lack of tranquility.
Detailed Meaning
In classical poetry, 'be-kali' signifies an intense state of emotional restlessness, agitation, or anxious fluttering. In this couplet, it describes the frantic struggle and fluttering of a caged bird whose wings have deteriorated to the point where even restlessness is impossible. It embodies the tragic transition from desperate resistance to sheer helplessness.
Etymology
Formed from the Persian negative prefix 'be-' (without) and the Indo-Aryan root 'kal' (peace, rest), with the Persian abstract noun suffix '-ī'.
Usage
Commonly used in ghazals to depict the lover's involuntary spiritual and physical torment during separation.
Examples
Night-long restlessness of the heart never subsided.
Even in this agitation there was a strange sweetness.