I told the beloved that Nazm is dying afflicted with longing and despair, to which she replied: 'If he dies, what loss or harm is that to me?'

This couplet captures the heart-wrenching, almost chilling indifference of the beloved that classical Urdu poetry portrays so vividly. The lover lays bare his agony, hoping that the news of his slow death from unfulfilled longing will stir even a drop of pity in her heart. Instead, she dismisses him with cold, effortless nonchalance, asking what personal loss his demise could possibly cause her. It is a poignant reflection on one-sided love, where one person's entire world collapses without causing even a ripple in the other's life.