Word Meaning
बाल-अफ़्शाँ
baal-afshaaN
hiadjective
Meaning
Spreading, fluttering, or shaking out wings, especially in flight or ecstatic frenzy.
Detailed Meaning
A Persian compound formed from 'bāl' (wing) and 'afshān' (scattering or spreading). In classical Urdu poetry, it evokes the restless or ecstatic beating of wings, often associated with a moth drawn to a flame or a soaring raptor. In this couplet, it depicts lightning's fiery frenzy fluttering its wings over the harvest like a moth in ecstasy.
Etymology
Persian: bāl (wing) + afshān (stem of afshāndan, to scatter or spread).
Usage
Frequently used in ghazal imagery to denote ecstatic restlessness, self-immolation, or the desperate flutter of lovers and moths.
Examples
fluttering wings like an impassioned moth
a bird spreading its wings in ecstatic torment
Synonyms
पर-अफ़्शाँबाल-कुशापर-फ़िशाँ
Related Words
बाल-ओ-परअफ़्शाँपरवानावज्द