Word Meaning
सब्ज़ी
sabzī
hinoun, feminine
Meaning
Cannabis drink, bhang; greenery or greenness.
Detailed Meaning
Literally meaning greenness or greens, 'sabzi' in colloquial classical Urdu idiom commonly denotes bhang, the intoxicating beverage prepared from cannabis leaves. In this couplet, it is used in this double sense to create wordplay with 'khat' (the beloved's youthful facial down, often likened to green growth), describing the speaker sitting intoxicated and lost in thought.
Etymology
Persian 'sabz' (green) + suffix '-ī'.
Usage
In Urdu poetry, 'sabzi' often puns on 'sabza-e-khat' (the lover's downy cheek) and signifies the intoxicating cannabis drink favored by qalandars.
Examples
sabzi peene waale rind (bohemian drinkers of bhang)
sabzi-e-khat-e-yaar (the delicate green down of the beloved's cheek)
Synonyms
भांगविजयाबूटीहरियाली
Related Words
सब्ज़ासब्ज़ख़तनशा