Word Meaning
माहताबी
mahtaabi
Meaning
Moonlight; a type of sparkling white firework; an open moonlit terrace.
Detailed Meaning
In Urdu poetics, 'mahtabi' refers to moonlight, an elevated terrace open to the sky, or historically, a handheld firework that produces a luminous white glow. In this couplet, it evokes a radiant, sparkling spectacle cradled within the palm of the spectator's admiring eye. Ghalib contrasts the muted chill of bashfulness with the vivid illumination of sudden wonder.
Etymology
Persian: from 'māhtāb' (moon, moonlight) + suffix '-ī'.
Usage
Frequently invoked in classical Urdu poetry to capture delicate nocturnal beauty, dazzling illuminations, or architectural spaces meant for viewing the moon.
Examples
The dark night lit up like dawn with the flash of a mahtabi.
She stood gazing at the sky from the cool marble of the mahtabi.