Word Meaning
सोख़्ता-तर
soḳhta-tar
Meaning
More burnt, further scorched; also playing on being both burnt and moist.
Detailed Meaning
In classical poetry, 'soḳhta-tar' is the comparative form of the Persian participle 'soḳhta' (burnt), meaning 'more intensely scorched' or 'burnt even further'. In this couplet, it highlights the poet's wonder that withholding tears causes the heart to burn even more intensely while being submerged in water. It also carries a classic poetic pun (īhām) on the word 'tar', which means moist or drenched.
Etymology
Persian: composed of 'soḳhta' (past participle of soḳhtan, 'to burn') and the comparative suffix '-tar'.
Usage
Classical Urdu poets often exploit the duality of '-tar' as a comparative suffix and as a noun/adjective meaning 'wet' to create witty paradoxes of burning in water.
Examples
The heart became more burnt even amidst the waves of tears.
Wounded by separation, the soul is far more scorched than before.