Word Meaning
मे'मार
me'mār
Meaning
An architect, builder, mason, or designer.
Detailed Meaning
Literally, 'me'mar' denotes a mason or architect who designs and erects structures. Metaphorically in classical Persian and Urdu verse, it describes an agent that constructs an emotional or psychological state. In this verse, the lover's glance is personified as the master architect of endless yearnings, fashioning both habitation and desolation.
Etymology
Arabic مِعْمَار (mi'mār), derived from the trilateral root ع-م-ر (ʿ-m-r), pertaining to building, dwelling, inhabiting, or living.
Usage
In ghazal poetry, it is frequently contrasted with images of ruins (ख़राबा) or paired with concepts like yearning (हसरत) and sorrow (ग़म).
Examples
A single glance became the architect of ruins.
He who built the palace forgot the builder of sorrow.