S. R. Faruqi:

In this verse the saying [kahaavat] has been used with such excellence that the verse has become a miracle, in a class by itself. The meaning of bhaarii patthar thaa chuum kar chho;Raa is, 'it was a difficult task-- I just began it a bit, then gave it up'; or, 'the task was beyond my capacity, so that I didn't take it up'.

Now, having taken advantage of the word 'idol', how excellently he has seized on the dictionary meaning of the saying! The basic meaning too is appropriate to the situation: 'Enough-- I contented myself with a kiss, I didn't seek union'. That is, I carried the affair only as far as outward intimacy, because it wasn't possible to obtain inner intimacy.

It's possible that he might have said 'heavy stone' also because the beloved would in reality be of fine bodily form, as in this verse from the first divan:

{380,2}.

This verse will be discussed in its place.

[Compare {99,5}; {106,1}; {1088.9}.]

FWP:

SETS
MOTIFS
NAMES
TERMS == IDIOM

By ghazal convention, idols are of course made of stone.

Note for grammar fans: In Urdu, both 'to take a kiss' and 'to give a kiss' mean 'to kiss' (actively); neither one means 'to (passively) receive a kiss'.

Note for translation fans: As the nearest similar proverb in English, how about 'I gave it a lick and a promise'? The 'lick' originally referred to 'a light coating or quick application of something, especially paint', so the apparent erotic suggestiveness of 'lick' is not really an original part of the idiom. But it does correspond so nicely to the idea of 'I gave it a kiss and left it'-- and in the Urdu proverb too, the 'kiss' is more symbolic than truly erotic.