thumb|[[Amir Khusrau, a 13th-century Urdu poet.]]

Urdu poetry ( ) is a tradition of poetry and has many different forms. Today, it is an important part of the culture of India and Pakistan. According to Naseer Turabi, there are five major poets of Urdu: Mir Taqi Mir (d. 1810), Mirza Ghalib (d. 1869), Mir Anees (d. 1874), Muhammad Iqbal (d. 1938) and Josh Malihabadi (d. 1982). The language of Urdu reached its pinnacle under the British Raj, and it received official status. All famous writers of Urdu language including Ghalib and Iqbal were given British scholarships. Following the Partition of India in 1947, it found major poets and scholars were divided along the nationalistic lines. However, Urdu poetry is cherished in both the nations. Both the Muslims and Hindus from across the border continue the tradition.

It is fundamentally performative poetry and its recital, sometimes impromptu, is held in Mushairas (poetic expositions). Although its tarannum saaz (singing aspect) has undergone major changes in recent decades, its popularity among the masses remains unaltered. Mushairas are today held in metropolitan areas worldwide because of the cultural influence of the South Asian diaspora. Ghazal singing and Qawwali are also important expository forms of Urdu poetry.

Forms

The principal forms of Urdu poetry are:

  • Ghazal (غزل): a set of two liner couplets, which strictly should end with the same rhyme and should be within one of the predefined meters of ghazals. There has to be a minimum of five couplets to form a ghazal. Couplets may or may not have the same thought. It is one of the most difficult forms of poetry as there are many strict parameters that one needs to abide by while writing ghazal. It is important to think about the topic as well as the theme of a ghazal before starting to write it. The first line of a ghazal must include a refrain, which is a word or a phrase that can be easily fitted into the other couplets. Each couplet of a ghazal is known as Sher (شعر ). The first Sher is called Matla' (مطلع ). The last Sher is called Maqta' (مقطع ), but only if the poet uses his "Takhalus (تخلص )".
  • Hamd (حمّد): a poem in praise of God. The word "hamd" is derived from the Qur'an, its English translation is "Praise".
  • Manqabat (منقبت): a Sufi devotional poem, in praise of Ali ibn Abi Talib, the son-in-law of Muhammad, or of any Sufi saint.
  • Marsiya (مرثیہ): an elegy typically composed about the death of Hasan, Husayn, their relatives, and their companions. Each stanza has six lines, with the rhyme scheme AAAABB. Azmatullah Khan (1887–1923) is believed to have introduced this format to Urdu Literature. The other renowned Urdu poets who wrote sonnets were Akhtar Junagarhi, Akhtar Sheerani, Noon Meem Rashid, Zia Fatehabadi, Salaam Machhalishahari and Wazir Agha.
  • Qasida (قصیدہ): usually an ode to a benefactor, a satire, or an account of an event. It uses the same rhyme system as the ghazal, but is usually longer. is derived from Arabic, meaning "ending". This is because in the Ghazal form, the poet would usually incorporate their pen name into the final couplet () of each poem.

Scripts used in poetry

In Pakistan and Deccan region of India, Urdu poetry is written in the standard Nasta'liq calligraphy style of the Perso-Arabic script. However, in north India, where Urdu poetry is very popular, the Perso-Arabic is often found transliterated into the Devanāgarī script, as an aid for those Hindī-speakers, who can comprehend Urdu, but cannot read the Perso-Arabic script. With the dawn of the internet and globalization, this poetry is often found written in Roman Urdu as well as in Hindi script.

Example of Urdu ghazal

The following is a verse from an Urdu ghazal by Syed Khwaja Mir Dard:

Urdu:

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:

:

Roman Urdu:

:Dōstō, dēkhā tamāśhā yaāhan kā bas.

:Tum raho; ab hum tō apne ghar chalē

English translation:

:Friends, I've seen the spectacle of this place enough

:You stay here; I'm heading home.

Note Dard's use of the royal we in this couplet, a technique characteristic of formal Urdu poetry.

See also

  • Urdu Ghazal
  • Bait Bazi, a game using Urdu poetry
  • Chaar bayt a folk art of singing
  • List of Urdu poets
  • Persian and Urdu
  • Progressive Writers' Movement
  • Rekhta
  • Shahr Ashob

References