Word Meaning
सड़ी
saṛī
Meaning
Eccentric, crazy, or crackbrained; a foolish or cranky person.
Detailed Meaning
In classical vernacular Urdu and Delhi idiom, 'saṛī' denotes someone of unsound mind, cranky, or eccentric. In this couplet, it describes the poet Mir alongside 'khabtī' and 'majnūn', dismissing his outbursts as the ravings of a madman. It softens the rebuke by treating his despair as the foolish derangement of a passionate lover.
Etymology
Derived from the Indo-Aryan/Hindustani root 'saṛnā' (to rot or spoil), colloquially extended in Delhi slang to mean an addled, eccentric, or corrupted mind.
Usage
In classical ghazal, colloquial idioms like 'saṛī' bring intimate Delhi street vernacular into high literary discourse to depict the lover's unhinged state.
Examples
She dismisses every lover as merely a saṛī and khabtī.
His ceaseless raving marked him out as a saṛī in the street.