Word Meaning
रोग़न
roghan
Meaning
Oil, grease, fat, or varnish; fuel for a lamp.
Detailed Meaning
Literally referring to oil, grease, or varnish, 'roghan' often functions as a poignant metaphor in classical Urdu poetry for the fuel of life or vitality. In this couplet, it represents the lamp-oil that sustains the flame, paralleling how tears nourish the light and sight of the lover's eyes. When the oil is exhausted, the lamp inevitably dies out, symbolizing the exhaustion of inner life and spirit.
Etymology
Persian (روغن, roghan / rawghan), meaning oil, fat, or butter.
Usage
In ghazal poetry, 'roghan' frequently appears in conjunction with 'charaagh' (lamp) to symbolize life-force, suffering, or consumed vitality.
Examples
The lamp flickers out once all the oil is spent.
Without the fuel of devotion, the flame cannot endure.