शिकस्त

Meaning

Defeat, breaking, shattering, or the fading/alteration of color.

Detailed Meaning

In classical Persian and Urdu poetry, 'shikast' fundamentally means a break, fracture, or defeat. In this couplet, it appears within the idomatic construct 'shikast-e-rang' (fading or alteration of bloom), describing how the quick fading of the flower acts as a spur urging the swift spring forward. It blends physical transience with emotional and visual motion.

Etymology

Persian, from the verb 'shikastan' (شکستن, to break, shatter).

Usage

Frequently used in the ghazal tradition both for emotional grief ('shikast-e-dil') and the aesthetics of transience ('shikast-e-rang').

Examples

Synonyms

Related Words