Word Meaning
वहशी
wahshi
Meaning
A mad lover, one driven wild or untamed by passionate love.
Detailed Meaning
Literally meaning wild, beast-like, or untamed, 'wahshi' in classical Urdu poetry serves as an epithet for the frenzied lover who rejects civil society. In this couplet, it refers to the speaker himself—a lover driven insane by passion, who even while bound in heavy chains in prison, remains obsessed with the memory of his beloved's locks.
Etymology
Arabic: waḥshī (وَحْشِيّ), derived from waḥsh (وَحْش), meaning wild animal, solitude, or wasteland.
Usage
In classical Urdu ghazal, 'wahshi' almost universally evokes the trope of the crazed lover wandering the desert or bound in fetters.
Examples
The cries of your mad lover echo across the wilderness.
Binding the wahshi in heavy chains brought him no peace.