Word Meaning
यक-ख़्वाब
yak-khwaab
hinoun compound
Meaning
A single dream; one brief dream.
Detailed Meaning
A Persian compound composed of 'yak' (one, single) and 'khwaab' (dream), denoting a solitary or fleeting dream. In this couplet by Ghalib, it encapsulates the notion that the awareness of both worlds is nothing more than the fleeting fabric of a single disturbed dream. It reinforces the Sufistic and philosophical motif that empirical existence is merely an illusion.
Etymology
Persian: 'yak' (one, single) + 'khwaab' (dream, sleep).
Usage
In classical Urdu ghazal, it is employed metaphorically to diminish the vastness of life or worldly affairs into a solitary, transient illusion.
Examples
All worldly reality dissolved like a single dream.
When morning arrived, the turmoil of night proved to be merely a single dream.
Synonyms
एक ख़्वाबसपनावहम
Related Words
ख़्वाब-ए-परेशाँबे-ख़ुदीआगहीजमइयत