Today's installment on "Collyrium" is a little confusing to me, especially the asterisk at collyrium which refers to the footnote, "Kajal: a ... lamp soot applied to the eyes ... for cosmetic and medicinal purposes." Collyrium is certainly an eyewash. Webster agrees, but makes no mention of soot. Interestingly, the entry immediately above it is "Colly" meaning "to blacken as with coal dust." I find no reference on the Word of the Day page however to, in any manner, connect collyrium with Kajal. Am I missing something here? I need more supporting information on the connection.

Furthermore, I think the composer of the above-mentioned footnote has misinterpreted the meaning of the poem. Since collyrium is soothing to the eyes, it is not something "whose use is given up" "when the eyes are inflamed and red" (although perhaps the use of Kajal or Colly is). Rather, I submit, the reason collyrium cannot be applied to the eyes is because "Within them(the eyes) dwells my Beloved. Where is the place for anything else?" especially for "anything else" whose purpose is to banish the source of the irritation, which we know to be her "Beloved" for whom she yearns.