Word Meaning
मिज़्गान
mizhgaan
Meaning
Eyelashes; often likened to arrows or ranks of an army.
Detailed Meaning
In classical Persian and Urdu poetry, 'mizhgaan' refers to eyelashes, which are frequently personified as piercing arrows, daggers, or an advancing battalion capable of slaying lovers. In this couplet, it appears in 'saf-e-mizhgaan' (the rank of eyelashes), describing the reflected eyelashes in a mirror as an armed regiment descending into battle against the heart.
Etymology
Persian (مژگان / mizhgān), plural form of 'mizha' (مژه), meaning eyelash.
Usage
Frequently invoked in ghazals in compounds like 'saf-e-mizhgaan' or 'teer-e-mizhgaan' to romanticize the beloved's piercing, captive-taking glance.
Examples
The ranks of eyelashes pierced the wounded heart.
A teardrop trembling at the edge of the eyelashes.