A ghazal is composed of ashaar, which are similar to couplets, that rhyme in a pattern of AA BA CA DA EA (and so on), with each individual she'r (couplet) typically presenting a complete idea not necessarily related to the rest of the poem.[2] They are often described as being individual pearls that make up a united necklace.
Classically, the ghazal inhabits the consciousness of a passionate, desperate lover, wherein deeper reflections of life are found in the audience's awareness of what some commentators and historians call "The Ghazal Universe", which can be described as a store of characters, settings, and other tropes the genre employs to create meaning.[3]
Craft Characteristics of an Urdu Ghazal, Shayari, Poetry,
Urdu Poetry: One of the Oldest And Most Diverse Forms Of Poetry
Urdu poetry is one of the oldest and most diverse forms of poetry in the world. There are many different types of Urdu poetry, but the most popular form is the Ghazal. A Ghazal is a poem that is made up of couplets, and each couplet tells a different story from different perspectives.
What is Urdu Poetry?
Urdu poetry is a rich tradition of poetry that has developed over the centuries in the Urdu language. It is typically characterized by its use of rhyme and meter, as well as its focus on themes of love, loss, and longing.
Urdu poetry has its roots in the Persian poetic tradition and was further developed during the Mughal period in India. During this time, Urdu became the lingua franca of the Muslim elite, and many Persian poets began writing in Urdu as well. Read More About Urdu, Hindi, English, Shayari, Poetry,
The development of Urdu poetry continued during the British Raj when Urdu was used as a means of communication between the British and Indian populations. This period saw a flourishing of Urdu literature, with poets such as Mirza Ghalib and Faiz Ahmad Faiz becoming household names.
Today, Urdu poetry is enjoyed by people all over the world, regardless of their background or language. It remains an important part of Pakistani culture and continues to evolve in new and exciting ways.
What are the types of Urdu Poetry?
There are four main types of Urdu poetry: Ghazal, Masnavi, Marsiya, and Rubai.
Ghazal is the most popular form of Urdu poetry and is often compared to the Western sonnet. A Ghazal typically consists of five to fifteen couplets (a pair of rhyming lines), with each couplet independent from the others. Themes can range from love and loss to politics and religion.
Masnavi is a longer poem, typically telling a story. Marsiya is a type of elegiac poetry that deals with death and loss, while Rubai are shorter poems consisting of quatrains (four-line stanzas).
Pros and Cons of Urdu Poetry?
There are many different opinions on Urdu poetry. Some people believe that it is one of the oldest and most diverse forms of poetry, while others believe that it is too complicated and difficult to understand. However, there are also many people who enjoy Urdu poetry and appreciate its beauty.
The main pro of Urdu poetry is that it is one of the oldest forms of poetry. It has been around for centuries and has been used by many famous poets. It is also a very versatile form of poetry, as it can be used for a variety of purposes such as love poems, political poems, or even religious poems.
Another pro of Urdu poetry is that it is very expressive. Urdu poets often use a lot of metaphors and similes to convey their messages. This makes the poems more interesting to read and also allows the poet to express their emotions more effectively.
However, there are also some cons associated with Urdu poetry. One of the main problems is that it can be quite difficult to understand for people who are not familiar with the language. This can make it hard for people to appreciate the beauty of the poems. Additionally, because Urdu poets often use a lot of metaphors and similes, some people may find the poems too flowery or over-the-top.
What Are the Different Types of Urdu Poetry?
There are a variety of different types of Urdu poetry, each with its own unique form and style.
Ghazals are perhaps the most well-known type of Urdu poetry and are typically written in couplets. Ghazals often explore themes of love, loss, and longing, and often make use of metaphors and similes.
Nazms are another popular type of Urdu poetry, which tends to be shorter than ghazals. Nazms typically follow a stricter rhyming scheme than ghazals and often focus on a single theme or subject matter.
Qasidas are a type of devotional poem that is typically sung or recited in praise of Allah or the Prophet Muhammad. Qasidas often make use of repetition and rhyme to create a hypnotic effect.
Marsyas are elegies that are written in remembrance of a loved one who has passed away. Marsyas often employ religious imagery and themes and can be quite emotional in nature.
How do you write a ghazal?
A ghazal is a type of poem that originated in Arabic and Persian literature. The word "ghazal" is derived from the Arabic word for "flower." Ghazals are typically loved poems, but can also be about other topics, such as nature or spirituality.
Ghazals are written in couplets, with each line rhyming. The first and second lines of each couplet usually have the same meter, while the third and fourth lines have a different meters. The final couplet usually has a different rhyme scheme than the rest of the poem.
Ghazals typically use certain recurring phrases, called the radius. These radios can be words, phrases, or even whole lines. The poet may use the same radio multiple times throughout the poem, or they may use different radii in each couplet.
When writing a ghazal, poets often start by choosing their topic and then brainstorming possible radios that would work well with that topic. Once they have a list of potential radii, they can start working on crafting their couplets. Each couplet should stand on its own, but also contribute to the overall meaning of the ghazal as a whole. Read More About Urdu, Hindi, English, Shayari, Poetry,
Conclusion
Urdu poetry is one of the oldest and most diverse forms of poetry in the world. It has a rich history and tradition and has been enjoyed by people of all cultures for centuries. Today, Urdu poetry is still very popular, and there are many Urdu poets who are celebrated for their beautiful work. If you're interested in exploring this fascinating form of poetry, we encourage you to check out some of the resources listed in this article. Thank you for reading!
She'r
A ghazal is composed of five or more ashaar (singular she'r), which are complete texts even when pulled from the rest of the ghazal.[4] In the vast majority of ghazals, there is not logical connection or flow between ashaar in terms of content or theme.[5]
They are often described as couplets by Western audiences and critics, yet using the word "couplet" to describe a she'r is not entirely accurate, as ghazals do not have the rhyme scheme of couplets, nor are they a Western poetic form.[6]
A she'r will often contains what Agha Shahid Ali described as "voltas" or "turns" from the first misra (line) to the second, where the intention of the poet is to surprise the reader or invert expectations.[7]
The matla is the first she'r of a ghazal.[4] In this she'r, the poet established the radif, qaafiya, and beher (meter) that the rest of the ghazal will follow.[8]
The maqta is the final she'r of a ghazal, where the poet will often include their Takhallus.[9] These ashaar tend to be more personal by the poet referring to themselves, diverting from the ghazal's universal and self-transcendent qualities.[9]
Meter is considered intrinsic to the craft, with some classical poets being mocked for crafting meter incorrectly.[10] Meter for Urdu is completely unlike meter in English poetry, as scansion of an Urdu ghazal is based upon rules in Arabic scansion.[11] The distinction between long and short syllables is not based on vowel length, like it is in English poetry scansion.[10] Instead, a long syllable generally contains two letters, while a short syllable generally contains one.[10]
There are many special rules that poets employ, such as the do chashmi he character, which denotes aspiration in the Nastaliq script, being metrically invisible.[10]
Metrical feet (rukn) are represented by mnemonic words called afaail, which both emulate and name the metrical foot.[12] For example, maf'uulan denotes three long syllables in a metrical foot, while fa'lun denotes two long syllables.[12]
Rhyme
The Urdu ghazal makes use of two main rhymes: the radif and qaafiya.[9] The radif is a repeating refrain consisting of a single word or short phrase that ends every second line in the ghazal.[9] However, in the matla, the first she'r of a ghazal, the radif will end both lines of the she'r.[8]
The qaafiya is a rhyming syllable that precedes the radif.[8]
In this ghazal by Mir Taqi Mir, the qaafiya is bolded and the radif is underlined:
Literature written in Hindi-Urdu was not common prior to the 1700s.[14] In North India, rich literary cultures existed in Awadhi and Brajbhasha, with earliest Awadhi texts dating to the 14th century.[15] In Delhi, poets wrote in Persian, while Rekhta/Hindvi (what is now recognizable as Hindi-Urdu) did not have the same literary recognition.[16]
In the 17th century, Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah, the founder of Hyderabad, composed ghazal in Persian, Urdu, and Telugu.[17] He also began a tradition of arts patronage and promoted Hyderabad as a literary city of Urdu in Southern India.[17]
Critic and Scholar Shamsur Rahman Faruqi notes that one story claims the poet Wali was one of the first to draw from the store of Persian literary culture to write ghazal in Hindi-Urdu.[14]
Classical Period
Mushaira in Hyderabad during the 19th century.
The poet Mir Taqi Mir is often lauded as ushering in a "Golden Age" of Urdu ghazal poetry in the early 18th century by mastering the blend of Persian influences with the common and idiomatic Urdu.[18] Another classical poet, Mirza Muhammad Rafi Sauda is notable for his poetry being socially aware, and sometimes even satirical.[19]
During this era, poets made a living by attracting the financial patronage of the courts.[19] The Oudh State gained a reputation for being one of the most generous, leading to many poets flocking to Lucknow, Farrukhabad, and Faizabad.[19]
In Delhi, the Red Fort served as both a location where mushaira were hosted, and as an institution that provided patronage to poets such as Ghalib, Zauq, Dagh, and Momin.[20]
1857
The literary establishment of Delhi was split by the Indian Rebellion of 1857, as Ustad Zauq and Maulvi Muhammad Baqar supported the uprising, believing it would restore the Mughal Court to glory.[21] Both were later hung by the British for treason.[21]
The last Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar, wrote this verse while imprisoned by the British after the uprising ended:
Sabhi jagah matam-e-sakht hai, kaho kaisi gardish-e-bakht hai
Na wo taj hai na wo takht hai na wo shah hai na dayar hai
Everywhere there is the lament and wails of mourning, how terrible is the turn of fate
Neither the crown, nor the throne, nor the emperor or the kingdom remains[22]
In the aftermath of the rebellion, the old institutions of patronage, ustads, and mushaira ended.[6]
Modernism and the Aligarh Movement
In the late 19th century, reform movements of Urdu's literary landscape were influenced by the impacts of British colonialism.[23] One notable leader in the modernist Islamic reform movement was Altaf Hussain Hali, who believed the ghazal to be outdated and limited in its particular rules of craft.[24]Syed Ahmad Khan argued that Urdu literature should be remodeled after the English forms and conventions. While the classical ghazal embraced ambiguity, emotional hyperbole, and wordplay, the Aligarh Movement proposed that literature should be simple, clear, and modern.[25]
Contemporary literary scene
One of the largest organizations dedicated to preserving the Urdu ghazal is Rekhta Foundation, which has digitized over 90,000 Urdu literary works, including ghazal.[citation needed] For the past five years, it has hosted the annual event Jashn-e-Rekhta.[26]
Women writers also began to receive recognition for writing ghazal after carving space for themselves during the 1940s in the masculine, male-dominated mushaira.[29] Writers such as Fahmida Riaz and Kishwar Naheed have expanded the ghazal to explore feminist perspectives and speak on issues in society.[30]
Sukhan, a concert of Urdu poetry and Hindustani music, is playing a pivotal role in expanding Urdu poetry and literature in the Deccan region of India, especially Maharashtra, while also reviving traditional music forms like ghazal and qawwali, and literary forms like daastan-goi.[31][32] The concert is conceptualised and directed by Om Bhutkar Maghloob, an actor and a poet who crafts his verses in the traditional forms of ghazal and nazm.[33][34]
Performance
The Mushaira Jashn-e-Bahar in New Delhi, 2011.
The Urdu ghazal can be sung with music in the Sufi Qawalli tradition, which is popular in South Asia.[35] They are also commonly sung outside of Sufi shrines called Dargah. Another way to recite ghazal is tarannum, which is a mix of heightened speaking and low-key singing, often described as chanting.[11]
Ghazal are traditionally performed at Mushaira, literary events that were historically held in the Mughal Courts, but in current times can be anywhere. At a mushaira, the order of poets who read their poems is in order from novice to master.[36] The Mushaira is also considered to be a professional workshop, where poets can improve their ghazal after seeing how the audience reacts to certain parts.[20]
A group of poets and poetry admirers is called a Mehfil that historically and culturally gathers around like an audience to listen to the poet and to show appreciation to the performance.
Tropes
The Urdu ghazal makes use of a store of common characters, settings, images, and metaphors that inform both readers and poets of how to navigate the aforementioned ghazal universe.[37] These tropes have been cultivated for hundreds of years and are meant to deeply resonate with listeners of the ghazal, invoking their expectations of meaning.[37]
Because the ghazal's ashaar are only two lines long, a reader's understanding comes not just from reading a single she'r, but also from considering that she'r in the context of its relation to pre-established ideas in the ghazal tradition.[4] Readers commonly navigate new she'r by comparing them to other she'r and reflecting upon similarities or divergences.[4]
Characters
The characters of the ghazal create expectations within the audience of how the speaker and addressees of the ghazal might act.[20][37] The central characters are implicated in the classic love situation of the lover pursuing the beloved, while the other secondary characters mostly add to the lover's troubles.[38]
The Lover (Aashiq) is standard "narrator" of the ghazal who pursues their beloved (mehboob).[20]
The Beloved (Mehboob)is aashiq's object of desire. The gender of the mehboob is universal.[20]
The Rival competes with the lover for attention of the beloved.[38]
The Advisor attempts to console the lover, yet typically adds to his suffering with smug or unsympathetic advice.[38]
The Religious Figure claims piety and righteousness yet indulges in alcohol or other sins[38]
Settings
There are common settings wherein ghazals take place that usually shape the circumstances of the ghazal's meaning.[20]
The Garden (bagh), where the poet often takes on the personage of the bulbul, a songbird indigenous to the Middle East and South Asia. Traditionally, this is a metaphor expressing desire for union with the divine.[39]
Hoon garmi-i-nishat-i-tasavvur se naghma sanj
Main andalib-i-gulshan-i-na afridah hoon
- Ghalib
I sing from the warmth of the passionate joy of thought
The Tavern (me'khana), where a wine-bearer (saqi) invites the speaker to deeper and deeper stages of intoxication.[23] The wine-bearer is often a teenage boy or young man who is flirtatious with the speaker.[41] The wine does not refer to sensual intoxication, instead opening up themes of spiritual enlightenment and the Sufi concept of self-annihilation through Fana (Sufism).[23]
Classic Images and Metaphors
The ghazal is notable for its exaggerated, far-fetched, and elevated imagery with highly figurative language.[42]
Moth and Candle (Shama aur parvana): The moth is typically described as enraptured by the glow of the candle, circling it to the point of being incinerated.[6] This image can be used as a metaphor to present the lover's obsession with the beloved, and his willingness to destroy himself for union.
The rose (gul) and bulbul: Poets often remark on the smile of the rose, or of its relation to the season of love, where the world blooms into spring.[6]
Arrows: In the same way an animal wounded by an arrow would run around a desert in a fit of passion, so too does the lover wander aimlessly in their obsession of the beloved.[42] Often, the lover is described as physically wounded by the beloved's indifferent cruelty, invoking images of battle.[20]
Medical: Poems often relate existential pain to having a medicinal cure, often invoked through the words dard or ilaaj (cure, medicical treatment).[43] This she'r by Ghalib invokes medicinal imagery as well as the aforementioned candle:[43]
ġham-e-hastī kā 'asad' kis se ho juz marg ilaaj sham.a har rañg meñ jaltī hai sahar hote tak Asad, what can cure the grief of existence, except dying? The candle is obliged to burn before extinguishing at dawn.
Layla and Majnun: This classic Persian romance is often referencing in ghazal, with the poet comparing themselves to Majnun's state of mind in the tale.[44] In the story, Majnun wanders the desert, where he lives an ascetic life and composes verses declaring his love for Layla.[45] Ghazal poets frequently use this story as a simile or reference point to portray their love as similarly obsessive and pure.[44] Ghazal poets frequently use this story as a simile or reference point to portray their love as similarly obsessive and pure.[44] Urdu ghazal is a form of lyrical poetry that originated in the Urdu language during the Mughal Empire. It consists of rhyming couplets, with each line sharing the same meter.[46]
Themes
Love ('ishq)
A common theme of the ghazal is of the tortured ('ashiq) pursuing an indifferent or cruel beloved (mehboob).[23] The gender of both the speaker and the addressee of a ghazal can be heterosexual, homoerotic, or fluid and indeterminate.[14] Through this ambiguity of personhood, the beloved is an ideal of love where deeper reflections of life, death, and god can be expressed.[14]
Therefore, love in the ghazal is not only that of factual human love affairs (ishq-e-mijazi), but also of a divine union and mystical transcendence (ishq-e-haqaqi).[23]
Sufism
Sufi thought first entered the ghazal genre in the Persian language before eventually entering in Urdu as well.[44] In the ghazal, themes of love and union with a lover simultaneously refer to union with the divine in a mystical Islamic tradition.[23] Love for a Sufi is the presence of God, not the presence of physical passion.[44] Many poets have written she'r which parody orthodox religious puritans, as in this she'r of Ghalib:[44]
What! the Waiz standing aface the tavern door!
But, believe me, Ghalib, I did see him stealing in as I departed
kahāñ mai-ḳhāne kā darvāza 'ġhālib' aur kahāñ vaa.iz
par itnā jānte haiñ kal vo jaatā thā ki ham nikle
In this motif of the ghazal, the poets are often indifferent to their own implication of running into the religious figures at the tavern.[44]
Another motif present in the ghazal is unbounded love for the beloved and destruction of self that is parallel to the Sufi practice of fana.[44]
Pain and Longing
The ghazal as a genre embraces the concealment or rejection of one's love, viewing this as an intensification of feeling.[44] The poet will often depict their self in positions of destitution with tattered clothing, or with stones being thrown at them.[44] A key theme is that the beloved and lover are never united.[44]
In this she'r by Ghalib, he invokes eternal longing and pain from the story of Layla and Majnun:[44]
maiñ ne majnūñ pe laḌakpan meñ 'asad'
sañg uThāyā thā ki sar yaad aayā
Even as I, a young lad, picked up a stone to cast at Majnun
The vision of my own bleeding head as I would grow up passed before my eyes [and the stone dropped from my hand
1 2 Azmi, Yusuf (2018). "Chapter 9: Urdu Poetry and Hyderabadi Culture". In Azam, Kousar (ed.). Languages and Literary Cultures in Hyderabad. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.
↑ Chakrabarty, Rajarshi (2010). "Professor B.B. Chaudhuri Prize: SHATRANJ KE KHILADI AND UMRAO JAAN: REVISITING HISTORY THROUGH FILMS". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 71: 1176–1181. ISSN2249-1937. JSTOR44147585.
↑ Kugle, Scott Alan, 1969- author. (2016). When Sun meets Moon: gender, Eros, and ecstasy in Urdu poetry. University of North Carolina Press. ISBN978-1-4696-2679-6. OCLC971049255.{{cite book}}: |last= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
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