Word Meaning
यक-शहर-आरज़ू
yak-shahr-e-aarzoo
hinoun phrase
Meaning
a whole city of desires; a multitude of yearnings
Detailed Meaning
A Persian compound denoting an entire city or vast world filled with desires and hopes. In Ghalib's couplet, it represents the heart or mind shattered by the beloved, whose destruction is likened to the ruins of an entire settlement of aspirations. The broken mirror carried countless reflections, each corresponding to an unfulfilled yearning.
Etymology
Persian: 'yak' (one, a whole) + 'shahr' (city) + 'aarzoo' (desire, longing).
Usage
In classical Urdu poetry, such hyperbole is employed to depict the immense scale and multiplicity of an admirer's inner emotions.
Examples
mourning an entire city of yearning in isolation
a city of desires crushed in an instant
Synonyms
शहर-ए-तमन्नादुनिया-ए-उम्मीदहसरत-कदा
Related Words
आरज़ूमातम-ए-आरज़ूशहर-ए-तमन्ना