Word Meaning
मज़दूर
mazdoor
Meaning
A laborer, worker, or hired hand working for daily wages.
Detailed Meaning
In classical poetry, 'mazdoor' denotes a manual laborer or builder hired to execute a task. In this couplet, it represents the mason who built the speaker's wall, which metaphorically bows under the moral weight of his favor. The poet uses the figure of the laborer to warn against accepting obligations from anyone.
Etymology
Persian 'mazdūr' (مزدور), derived from 'muzd/mazd' (wage, recompense) combined with the agent suffix '-ūr'.
Usage
In classical Urdu ghazal, the laborer is rarely invoked for social critique, but rather as an instrument to dramatize the unbearable burden of obligation or the archetype of strenuous toil.
Examples
minnat-e-mazdoor (obligation owed to a hired laborer)
dast-e-mazdoor (hand of the laborer)