Ghazal 177, Verse 11

{177,11}

har mahiine me;N jo yih badr se hotaa hai hilaal
aastaa;N par tire mah naa.siyah-saa hotaa hai

1) in every month, when from the full-moon [habitually] comes this crescent-moon
2) on your doorsill the moon [habitually] is forehead-like

Notes:

badr : 'The full moon'. (Platts p.140)

hilaal : 'The new moon; crescent-moon; the first and last two or three days of the moon (whether when new or on the wane; during the rest of the month it is called qamar )'. (Platts p.1231)

naa.siyah : 'Forelock over the forehead;-- the forehead'. (Platts p.1115)

*Platts Dictionary Online*

Nazm:

And the full moon's becoming like a forehead and turning into a crescent moon is a shopworn theme. (200)

== Nazm page 199

Bekhud Dihlavi:

He says, 'When in every month the moon, after becoming full, diminishes gradually and takes on the aspect of a crescent moon, this is because it is bowing its forehead at your door'. (258)

Every month the moon, which goes from full to crescent, does this because it bows its forehead at your door.... [Disagreeing with Nazm:] In Urdu the theme has not been used so extremely much that we would be able to call Mirza's verse 'shopworn'. Indeed, if today anybody would compose it, then it wouldn't be inappropriate to call it shopworn. (350)

FWP:

SETS