Word Meaning
भागे
bhāge
Meaning
Flees, runs away; archaic present tense form meaning 'runs' or 'flees'.
Detailed Meaning
In classical Urdu grammar, 'bhāge hai' functions as an archaic simple present tense form equivalent to modern 'bhāgtā hai' (flees or runs away). In this couplet, it personifies the wilderness (bayābāñ) as physically fleeing in dread from the wanderer's overwhelming velocity and mad frenzy. The motif highlights how the lover's frantic pace outstrips even the endless expanse of the desert.
Etymology
From Prakrit 'bhagga' (fled, routed), derived from Sanskrit 'भञ्ज्' (bhañj, to break or flee).
Usage
In classical poetry, verbal forms ending in '-e hai' often function where contemporary Urdu uses the imperfective '-tā hai'.
Examples
The wild deer flees into the thicket at dusk.
Shadow itself flees before the radiant light.