Word Meaning
शिकार-अफ़्गन
shikār-afgan
Meaning
Slayer of prey; a hunter; metaphorically, the captivating beloved who slays lovers.
Detailed Meaning
A Persian compound formed from 'shikār' (hunt, prey) and the active stem '-afgan' (felling, overthrowing). In Urdu ghazal, it is a customary metaphor for the beloved whose beauty, flirtatious glances, or metaphorical arrows hunt down lovers. In this couplet, it refers to the beloved whose relentless archery has riddled the speaker's body with wounds.
Etymology
Persian: shikār (game, hunt) + afgan (present stem of afgandan, to overthrow, fell, cast down).
Usage
Commonly employed in the ghazal tradition as an epithet for the cruel beloved who metaphorically hunts and slays admirers.
Examples
The relentless hunter pierced the hearts of all onlookers.
None could escape the arrow of that slayer of prey.