Word Meaning
रफ़ू
rafū
Meaning
Darning, mending, or stitching of torn cloth or wounds.
Detailed Meaning
Literally meaning the repair or darning of torn garments, in ghazal poetics 'rafu' often represents the stitching of physical or emotional wounds. In Ghalib's verse, the lover consents to having his wound stitched not for recovery, but merely to relish the sweet agony of the needle piercing his flesh once more. It captures an intense devotion to love's anguish rather than a longing for cure.
Etymology
Arabic (rafw), meaning mending, repairing, or sewing together.
Usage
In Urdu poetry, 'rafu' is traditionally contrasted with 'chak' (the tear in the garment made in madness), symbolizing society's vain attempt to heal a lover's incurable distress.
Examples
the futile mending of a torn collar
a stitch applied to an open wound