Word Meaning
मशक़
mashq
Meaning
Practice, exercise, persistent drill, or continuous display.
Detailed Meaning
In classical Urdu, 'mashq' refers to exercise, repetitive practice, or the mastery of an art through labor. In this couplet by Ghalib, 'sarf-e-mashq' indicates being wholly consumed in the rigorous exercise or staging of spring's majesty. It evokes the image of intense exertion resulting in the flaming brilliance of the chinar leaves.
Etymology
Arabic (مَشْق, mashq), originally referring to stretching, drawing out, or practicing calligraphy.
Usage
Frequently compounded in ghazals to express either the poet's artistic discipline (mashq-e-sukhan) or the beloved's unending torment (mashq-e-sitam).
Examples
Continual practice in the craft of poetry
Suffering under the beloved's relentless exercise of cruelty