Word Meaning
हूर
hūr
Meaning
A nymph or celestial maiden of paradise; an ethereal beauty.
Detailed Meaning
In Islamic tradition, a 'hoor' is a celestial virgin of paradise endowed with radiant purity and striking beauty. In Urdu poetry, the word serves as a standard metaphor for breathtaking loveliness, often compared or contrasted with the earthly beloved. In Mir's couplet, the beloved's grace was so divine as to make heavenly nymphs envious, an extraordinary beauty the poet confesses he lacked the wisdom to recognize.
Etymology
Arabic حُور (ḥūr), plural of حَوْرَاء (ḥawrā'), denoting women with intense contrast of white and black in their eyes.
Usage
In ghazals, poets routinely compare the beloved to a hoor, often concluding that the living, breathing beloved easily surpasses paradise's maidens.
Examples
Even the hoors of paradise marvel at your grace.
To the devoted lover, the earthly beloved eclipses every celestial hoor.