Word Meaning
बे-दिल
be-dil
Meaning
Heartless, dejected, disheartened, or lacking spirit.
Detailed Meaning
Literally meaning devoid of heart, it describes someone despondent, lifeless, or utterly disheartened. In this couplet, Ghalib laments that without divine favor, the poet remains dispirited and devoid of worth, much like an empty oyster shell lacking a pearl. It also subtly puns on the renowned Persian poet Bedil, whose profound style Ghalib followed.
Etymology
Persian: compound of the privative prefix 'be-' (without) and 'dil' (heart).
Usage
In classical Urdu ghazal, it commonly describes the lover's grief-stricken apathy, while occasionally serving as a poetic pun on the master Persian poet Mirza Bedil.
Examples
A heart-bereft traveler wandering in despair
Sighing over a dejected soul's misfortune