Word Meaning
हिना-आलूदा
hina-alooda
Meaning
Stained, smeared, or tinted with henna.
Detailed Meaning
A Persian compound adjective meaning stained, smeared, or dyed with henna. In classical Urdu and Persian poetry, the beloved's henna-tinted hands are conventionally associated with exquisite beauty, but poets frequently play upon the visual similarity between red henna and the lover's shed blood. In this couplet, the beloved's henna-stained hand ironically fails to hide the lover's blood-drenched heart, laying bare the truth despite attempts at modesty.
Etymology
Persian compound of Arabic 'ḥinnā' (henna) and Persian 'ālūda' (soiled, stained, imbued).
Usage
A common ghazal trope used to evoke the beloved's ornamental beauty while hinting poetically at the lover's sacrificial blood.
Examples
The secret of love lay uncovered in that henna-stained palm.
Her henna-stained fingers lifted the embroidered veil.