Word Meaning
रू-सियाह
roo-siyaah
Meaning
Disgraced, blackened of face; an unfortunate, sinful, or wretched person.
Detailed Meaning
Literally meaning 'black-faced', the term idiomatically signifies someone who is disgraced, sinful, or wretched. In classical poetry, it is frequently used in mock humility or self-deprecation to represent the speaker as an unworthy sinner. In this couplet, it serves as a rhetorical taunt against any wretch who drinks wine merely for shallow merriment instead of spiritual oblivion.
Etymology
Persian compound of 'rū' (face) and 'siyāh' (black).
Usage
Commonly used in ghazals to express self-reproach, moral unworthiness, or disdain toward spiritually shallow individuals.
Examples
What wretched soul would dare complain of fate?
He stood before the beloved, blackened with shame and guilt.