मय-कदों

Meaning

Taverns, wine-houses, or drinking places (plural/oblique form).

Detailed Meaning

'May-kadon' is the oblique plural of 'may-kada', meaning wine-houses or taverns. In Sufi and Urdu poetic imagery, the tavern symbolizes an esoteric sanctuary of divine love and spiritual intoxication rather than a literal place of drinking. In this couplet by Iqbal, it refers to the cultural and spiritual assemblies of the non-Arab East (Ajam) that have lost their original ecstatic vigor.

Etymology

Persian compound of 'may' (wine) and '-kada' (house/dwelling), inflected with the Hindustani plural oblique marker '-on'.

Usage

In classical Urdu poetry, the tavern stands in sharp contrast to the mosque, representing authentic spiritual sincerity over dogmatic piety.

Examples

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