Word Meaning
रीश
rīsh
Meaning
Beard; facial hair.
Detailed Meaning
In classical Persian and Urdu poetry, rīsh refers to a beard, frequently used in satirical contexts targeting conventional moralists, judges, or ascetics. In the cited verse, 'rīsh-e-qāzī' (the judge's beard) is visual imagery equated with the cotton plug sealing a wine flagon, drawing a witty parallel between solemn piety and concealed intoxication. While in Persian it can also mean a wound or sore, its poetic sense here is strictly a beard.
Etymology
Persian 'rīsh' (beard).
Usage
In ghazal poetry, it is standardly combined in iḍāfa constructions like rīsh-e-zāhid or rīsh-e-qāzī to mock the hypocrisy of moral authorities.
Examples
The white beard became a symbol of outward piety.
Poets often mocked the judge through references to his beard.