Word Meaning
शीरा
shīra
Meaning
Syrup, sweet juice, or an intoxicating sweet extract/decoction.
Detailed Meaning
Literally referring to thick sweet syrup, treacle, or fruit juice in Persian and Urdu. In classical social idioms and poetry, it often denotes a boiled preparation of opium or a sweet intoxicant consumed in vice-dens known as 'shīra-khāna'. In this couplet, it highlights the hypocritical Sheikh suddenly yielding to the temptation of intoxication.
Etymology
Persian 'شیره' (shīreh), derived from 'شیر' (shīr, milk/juice).
Usage
In ghazal poetry, it is used literally for sweetness or in compounds like 'shīra-khāna' to signify establishments of intoxication and worldly dissolution.
Examples
The bitter draught of sorrow was masked with the sweet syrup of hope.
His steps turned toward the door of the tavern where the sweet extract flowed.