Word Meaning
बे-गह
be-gah
Meaning
Untimely, unseasonable, at an odd or improper hour.
Detailed Meaning
In classical Urdu poetry, 'be-gah' refers to an untimely, unseasonable, or improper hour. In this couplet, it appears in the paired phrase 'gah-o-be-gah' (timely and untimely), denoting visiting or lingering incessantly at all hours. This continuous, intrusive presence makes the beloved's street feel unwelcoming, almost like an enemy's home.
Etymology
Persian compound of the privative prefix 'be-' (without) and 'gah' (contracted form of 'gah/gaah', meaning time or season).
Usage
Most frequently paired with 'gah' as 'gah-o-be-gah' in ghazals to express the lover's restless, round-the-clock wandering in the beloved's street.
Examples
To arrive at an untimely hour (be-gah).
Lingering around at odd and improper times.