Word Meaning
बेकस
bekas
Meaning
Helpless, friendless, destitute, or lacking any companion or supporter.
Detailed Meaning
In classical Persian and Urdu poetry, 'bekas' denotes a solitary individual without friends, protectors, or family. In this couplet, it highlights Farhad's utter lack of external aid or support as he undertook the herculean task of hewing the mountain. It emphasizes the poignant contrast between his complete worldly helplessness and his miraculous feat driven purely by love.
Etymology
Persian: compound of the privative prefix 'be-' (without) and 'kas' (person, someone).
Usage
In the ghazal tradition, 'bekas' is frequently adopted by the poet-lover to emphasize absolute solitude, abandonment, and existential vulnerability.
Examples
Leaving the helpless traveler alone in grief
No one asks after the friendless soul in exile