Word Meaning
सम्त
samt
Meaning
Direction, bearing, course, or side.
Detailed Meaning
'Samt' denotes a direction, quarter, or pathway. In the cited couplet, it appears in the phrase 'har samt' ('in every direction'), conveying that the lover's intense thirst and unfulfilled desire lie buried in every corner of the desert. It is commonly employed in poetry to map the emotional or physical landscape of wandering and exile.
Etymology
Arabic origin from 'سمت' (samt), meaning path, direction, or way; also the etymological root of the astronomical term 'azimuth'.
Usage
In ghazal poetry, 'samt' is often paired with 'har' (har samt) to emphasize that an emotion, grief, or search is boundless and encompasses all quarters.
Examples
Every direction is cloaked in deep melancholy.
No clear path is visible in the desert of longing.
