Word Meaning
हिज्राँ
hijrān
Meaning
Separation, parting, or estrangement, especially from the beloved.
Detailed Meaning
In classical Urdu poetry, 'hijrān' denotes the agonizing grief caused by separation from the beloved. In this couplet, it appears in the compound 'shab-e-hijrān' (the night of separation), signifying an endless stretch of suffering marked by illness and utter sleeplessness. It embodies one of the central thematic poles of the ghazal tradition, standing in perpetual contrast to union ('vasl').
Etymology
From Arabic root h-j-r (to abandon, forsake), developed into Persian as 'hijrān' (separation), and borrowed into Urdu.
Usage
In the ghazal, it is predominantly used in compounds like 'shab-e-hijrān' to dramatize the lover's nocturnal misery and longing.
Examples
shab-e-hijrān kī darāzī (the length of the night of separation)
gham-e-hijrān meñ jalnā (to burn in the grief of separation)