Arabic · noun · Love & Longing

Qaasid

क़ासिद
said QAA-sid
also written: Qasid, qasid, qaasid-e
Meaning

A messenger, a courier; the one who carries the lover's message to the beloved.

Literally: messenger, courier (between lovers)

Usage & notes

Qaasid is the messenger who carries word between the parted lovers — the precious, exasperating go-between on whom the lover's whole hope hangs. The ghazal follows him anxiously: did he deliver the letter, what did the beloved say, why is he so slow. He is the thin thread of communication across the gulf of separation, and the lover's impatience with the qaasid is really impatience for the beloved.