Word Meaning
सर्फ़
sarf
Meaning
Expenditure, spending, consumption, or application to a purpose.
Detailed Meaning
In classical Urdu poetics, 'sarf' signifies expenditure, consumption, or dedicating a resource to a particular task. In Ghalib's couplet, it denotes applying or using the fragile thread of a dream to stitch and bind the disparate leaves of one's temperament. It conveys the theme of investing emotional or metaphysical effort into holding reality together.
Etymology
Arabic root ص-ر-ف (ṣ-r-f), relating to turning, expending, or exchanging.
Usage
Commonly constructed with an izafat (e.g., 'sarf-e-nazar', 'sarf-e-dil') to portray the dedicated depletion of life, tears, or patience in the ghazal tradition.
Examples
sarf-e-himmat (expenditure of resolve)
sarf-e-gham hona (to be consumed by sorrow)