Word Meaning
बे-सबब
be-sabab
Meaning
Without reason, causelessly, or groundless.
Detailed Meaning
In Urdu poetry, 'be-sabab' functions adverbially or adjectivally to describe an action, grief, or grievance that exists without any evident cause or provocation. In Ghalib's couplet, it highlights an enmity or resentment harbored pointlessly and without justification, portraying an over-sensitive beloved or rival who finds fault where none exists. It emphasizes the arbitrariness of emotional suffering and estrangement in the lover-beloved dynamic.
Etymology
Compound of Persian preposition 'be' (without) and Arabic noun 'sabab' (cause, reason).
Usage
In the ghazal tradition, 'be-sabab' commonly qualifies tears, sighs, or the arbitrary indifference and anger of the beloved.
Examples
Crying without cause through the dark night
Harboring causeless resentment against a friend