Urdu poetry
Encyclopedia
Urdu poetry is a rich tradition of poetry and has many different types and forms. Borrowing much from the Persian language
, it is today an important part of Pakistani and North India
n culture.
Like other languages, the history of Urdu poetry shares origins and influences with other linguistic traditions within the Urdu-Hindi-Hindustani
mix. Literary figures as far back as Kabir
(1440–1518 CE) and even Amir Khusro
(1253-1325 CE) inspired later Urdu poets, and served as intellectual and linguistic sources. Meer
, Dard
, Ghalib, Anis
, Mustafa Meerza Urf Piyare Saheb (Rasheed) Syed Sajjad Husain (Shadeed), Talib Khundmiri
(Feb 14, 1938 – Jan 16 2011), Allama Dr. Syed Ali Imam Zaidi (Gauher) Lucknavi. Syed Sibtey Husain Naqvi (Jauher), Dabeer
, Iqbal
, Zauq
, Josh
, Jigar
, Faiz
, Firaq and Syed Shmad Shah (Ahmad Faraz) are among the greatest poets of Urdu. The tradition is centered in the subcontinent
. Following the Partition of India
in 1947, it found major poets and scholars residing primarily in modern Pakistan
. Mushaira
s (or poetic expositions) are today held in metropolitan areas worldwide.
Foreign forms such as the sonnet
, azad nazm or (Free verse
) and haiku
have also been used by some modern Urdu poets.
Urdu Poetry
called the Takhallus (تخلص)
. This can be either a part of a poet's given name or something else adopted as an identity. The traditional convention in identifying Urdu poets is to mention the takhallus at the end of the name.
The word takhallus is derived from Arabic, meaning "ending". This is because in the ghazal
form, the poet would usually incorporate his or her pen name into the final couplet (maqta
) of each poem.
, Urdu poetry is written in the standard Nasta'liq calligraphy style of the Perso-Arabic script
. However, in 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 globalisation, this poetry is often found written in Roman Urdu
today.
by Sher Khwaja Mir Dard
:
Roman Urdu
:
English translation
:
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
, it is today an important part of Pakistani and North India
North India
North India, known natively as Uttar Bhārat or Shumālī Hindustān , is a loosely defined region in the northern part of India. The exact meaning of the term varies by usage...
n culture.
Like other languages, the history of Urdu poetry shares origins and influences with other linguistic traditions within the Urdu-Hindi-Hindustani
Hindustani language
Hindi-Urdu is an Indo-Aryan language and the lingua franca of North India and Pakistan. It is also known as Hindustani , and historically, as Hindavi or Rekhta...
mix. Literary figures as far back as Kabir
Kabir
Kabīr was a mystic poet and saint of India, whose writings have greatly influenced the Bhakti movement...
(1440–1518 CE) and even Amir Khusro
Amir Khusro
Ab'ul Hasan Yamīn ud-Dīn Khusrow , better known as Amīr Khusrow Dehlawī , was an Indian musician, scholar and poet. He was an iconic figure in the cultural history of the Indian subcontinent...
(1253-1325 CE) inspired later Urdu poets, and served as intellectual and linguistic sources. Meer
Mir Taqi Mir
Khuda-e-sukhan Mir Taqi Mir , whose real name was Muhammad Taqi and takhallus was Mir , was the leading Urdu poet of the 18th century, and one of the pioneers who gave shape to the Urdu language itself...
, Dard
Khwaja Mir Dard
Khwaja Mir Dard was born in 1721 and died in 1785. He is one of the three major poets of the Delhi School—the other two being Mir Taqi Mir and 'Sauda'—who could be called the pillars of the classical Urdu ghazal.-Philosophy:...
, Ghalib, Anis
Mir Babar Ali Anis
Mir Babbar Ali Anees was a renowned Urdu poet. He was born in Faizabad in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh in 1803 and died in 1874....
, Mustafa Meerza Urf Piyare Saheb (Rasheed) Syed Sajjad Husain (Shadeed), Talib Khundmiri
Syed Mahmood Khundmiri
Syed Mahmood Khundmiri was an Indian Urdu language poet, humorist, architect, artist, orator, and one of the leading Urdu poets of the 20th and 21st centuries...
(Feb 14, 1938 – Jan 16 2011), Allama Dr. Syed Ali Imam Zaidi (Gauher) Lucknavi. Syed Sibtey Husain Naqvi (Jauher), Dabeer
Mirza Salaamat Ali Dabeer
Mirza Salaamat Ali Dabeer was a leading Urdu poet who excelled and perfected the art of Marsiya writing. He is considered the leading exponent of Marsiya Nigari or marsiya writing along with Mir Anis....
, Iqbal
Muhammad Iqbal
Sir Muhammad Iqbal , commonly referred to as Allama Iqbal , was a poet and philosopher born in Sialkot, then in the Punjab Province of British India, now in Pakistan...
, Zauq
Mohammad Ibrahim Zauq
Sheikh Muhammad Ibrahim Zauq was noted Urdu poets . He wrote poetry under nom de plume "Zauq", and remained poet laureate of the Mughal Court in Delhi....
, Josh
Josh Malihabadi
Josh Malihabadi was a noted Urdu poet born in British India, who was an Indian citizen until 1958, when he emigrated to Pakistan and became a Pakistani citizen...
, Jigar
Jigar Moradabadi
Jigar Moradabadi was the nom de plume of Ali Sikandar , one of the most famous Urdu poets of the 20th century and a celebrated Urdu ghazal writer...
, Faiz
Faiz Ahmed Faiz
Faiz Ahmad Faiz was a Pakistani intellectual, poet, and one of the most famous poets of the Urdu language. He was a member of the Anjuman Tarraqi Pasand Mussanafin-e-Hind and an avowed Marxist. In 1962, he was awarded the Lenin Peace Prize by the Soviet Union...
, Firaq and Syed Shmad Shah (Ahmad Faraz) are among the greatest poets of Urdu. The tradition is centered in the subcontinent
Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent, also Indian Subcontinent, Indo-Pak Subcontinent or South Asian Subcontinent is a region of the Asian continent on the Indian tectonic plate from the Hindu Kush or Hindu Koh, Himalayas and including the Kuen Lun and Karakoram ranges, forming a land mass which extends...
. Following the Partition of India
Partition of India
The Partition of India was the partition of British India on the basis of religious demographics that led to the creation of the sovereign states of the Dominion of Pakistan and the Union of India on 14 and 15...
in 1947, it found major poets and scholars residing primarily in modern Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. Mushaira
Mushaira
Mushaira is a poetic symposium. Its a term in Urdu used to describe an event where poets gather to perform their works. A mushaira is a beloved part of the culture of Pakistan and North India, and it is greatly admired by participants as a forum for free self-expression.-Forms:A mushaira can take...
s (or poetic expositions) are today held in metropolitan areas worldwide.
Forms of Urdu poetry
The principal forms of Urdu poetry are:- GhazalGhazalThe ghazal is a poetic form consisting of rhyming couplets and a refrain, with each line sharing the same meter. A ghazal may be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss or separation and the beauty of love in spite of that pain. The form is ancient, originating in 6th century...
, usually a short love lyricLyric poetryLyric poetry is a genre of poetry that expresses personal and emotional feelings. In the ancient world, lyric poems were those which were sung to the lyre. Lyric poems do not have to rhyme, and today do not need to be set to music or a beat...
, sometimes a poem on a general subject. Strictly speaking it should have the same rhymeRhymeA rhyme is a repetition of similar sounds in two or more words and is most often used in poetry and songs. The word "rhyme" may also refer to a short poem, such as a rhyming couplet or other brief rhyming poem such as nursery rhymes.-Etymology:...
throughout. Urdu ghazals for the most part are artificial and conventional. - QasidaQasidaThe qaṣīdaᵗ , in Arabic: قصيدة, plural qasā'id, قــصــائـد; in Persian: قصیده , is a form of lyric poetry that originated in preIslamic Arabia...
, a kind of odeOdeOde is a type of lyrical verse. A classic ode is structured in three major parts: the strophe, the antistrophe, and the epode. Different forms such as the homostrophic ode and the irregular ode also exist...
, often panegyricPanegyricA panegyric is a formal public speech, or written verse, delivered in high praise of a person or thing, a generally highly studied and discriminating eulogy, not expected to be critical. It is derived from the Greek πανηγυρικός meaning "a speech fit for a general assembly"...
on a benefactor, sometimes a satireSatireSatire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
, sometimes a poem dealing with an important event. As a rule it is longer than ghazalGhazalThe ghazal is a poetic form consisting of rhyming couplets and a refrain, with each line sharing the same meter. A ghazal may be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss or separation and the beauty of love in spite of that pain. The form is ancient, originating in 6th century...
, but it follows the same system of rhymeRhymeA rhyme is a repetition of similar sounds in two or more words and is most often used in poetry and songs. The word "rhyme" may also refer to a short poem, such as a rhyming couplet or other brief rhyming poem such as nursery rhymes.-Etymology:...
. - Marsiya (or elegyElegyIn literature, an elegy is a mournful, melancholic or plaintive poem, especially a funeral song or a lament for the dead.-History:The Greek term elegeia originally referred to any verse written in elegiac couplets and covering a wide range of subject matter, including epitaphs for tombs...
), is nearly always on the death of HasanHasan ibn AliAl-Hasan ibn ‘Alī ibn Abī Tālib is an important figure in Islam, the son of Fatimah the daughter of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and of the fourth Caliph Ali ibn Abi Talib. Hasan is a member of the Ahl al-Bayt and Ahl al-Kisa...
and HusainHusainHusain is a common Arabic name especially among Muslims, because of the popularity of Hussein bin AliGrand son of Muhammadhe said .....al husain o mini wa ana minal hussain* Adrian A...
and their families, but occasionally on the death of relatives and friends. It is usually in six-lined stanzas with the rhymeRhymeA rhyme is a repetition of similar sounds in two or more words and is most often used in poetry and songs. The word "rhyme" may also refer to a short poem, such as a rhyming couplet or other brief rhyming poem such as nursery rhymes.-Etymology:...
aaaabb. The recitation of these elegies in the first ten days of MuharramMuharramMuharram is the first month of the Islamic calendar. It is one of the four sacred months of the year in which fighting is prohibited...
is one of the greatest event in Muslim life. A fully developed marsiya is always an epicEpic poetryAn epic is a lengthy narrative poem, ordinarily concerning a serious subject containing details of heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation. Oral poetry may qualify as an epic, and Albert Lord and Milman Parry have argued that classical epics were fundamentally an oral poetic form...
. The famous marsia writers who inherited the tradition of Mir Anis among his successive generations are Mir Nawab Ali 'Munis', Dulaha Sahab 'Uruj', Mustafa Meerza urf Piyare Sahab 'Rasheed', Syed Muhammad Mirza Uns, Ali Nawab 'Qadeem', Syed Sajjad Hussain "Shadeed" Lucknavi, Allama, Dr.Syed Ali Imam Zaidi, "Gauher" Luckhnavi the(great grandson of Mir Babber Ali Anis). - MasnaviMasnavi (poetic form)Masnavi, or mathnawī, is the name of a poem written in rhyming couplets, or more specifically, “a poem based on independent, internally rhyming lines”. Most mathnawī followed a meter of eleven, or occasionally ten, syllables, but had no limit in their length...
, in the majority of cases a poeticPoeticPoetic may refer to:* Poetry, or a relation thereof.* Too Poetic, a deceased rapper and hip hop producer....
romance. It may extend to several thousand lines, but generally is much shorter. A few masnavis deal with ordinary domestic and other occurrences. MirMirMir was a space station operated in low Earth orbit from 1986 to 2001, at first by the Soviet Union and then by Russia. Assembled in orbit from 1986 to 1996, Mir was the first modular space station and had a greater mass than that of any previous spacecraft, holding the record for the...
and SaudaSaudais a municipality and industrial town in Rogaland county, Norway. It is part of the region of Ryfylke. Sauda was separated from Suldal in 1842...
wrote some of this kind. They are always in heroic coupletCoupletA couplet is a pair of lines of meter in poetry. It usually consists of two lines that rhyme and have the same meter.While traditionally couplets rhyme, not all do. A poem may use white space to mark out couplets if they do not rhyme. Couplets with a meter of iambic pentameter are called heroic...
s, and the common metre is bacchicBacchiusA bacchius is a metrical foot used in formal poetry.In accentual-syllabic verse we could describe a bacchius as a foot that goes like this:Example:When day breaksthe fish biteat small flies....
tetrameterTetrameterTetrameter: [ti'tramitə]; te·tram·e·ter; a verse of four measuresOrigin: early 17th century : from late Latin tetrametrus, originally neuter from Greek tetrametros 'having four measures,' from tetra- 'four' + metron 'measure'....
with an iambus for last foot. The Religious masnavi Histori of Islam (Tarikh-e-Islam Az Quran) written by Dr. Syed Ali Imam Zaidi Gauher Lucknavi. - TazkiraTazkiraTazkira is one of the principal forms of Persian literature and also Urdu literature. Tazkira is a type biographical anthology, almost always of poetry alone...
, biographical anthologyAnthologyAn anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler. It may be a collection of poems, short stories, plays, songs, or excerpts...
, almost always of poetryPoetryPoetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
alone. This is often a mere collection of names with a line or two of information about each poet, followed by specimen of his composition. On the other hand it may be the history of Urdu poetry with copious illustrative extracts. The best tazkiras give biographical details, but fail in literary criticism, and we get little idea of style or poetical power, still less of contents of poems. Even the large anthologies do not systematically review an author's work. Most of them have the names in alphabetical order, but one or two prefer historical order. The majority quote only lyrics, and the quotations, usually chosen at random, do not illustrate poetry. - NazmNazmUrdu Nazm is a major part of the Urdu poetry, that is normally written in rhymed verse and also in modern prose style poems. Nazm has many different forms as,* Doha * Geet * Hamd * Hazal * Hijv...
Urdu nazm is a major part of Urdu poetry. From Nazeer Akarabadi, Iqbal, JoshJoshJosh is a diminutive of the given name Joshua. "Josh" may also refer to:* Josh, the nom-de-plume of the poet Josh Malihabadi* "Josh", an early pseudonym of Samuel Clemens, better known as Mark Twain* Josh , a Canadian Indian/Pakistani fusion band...
, Firaq, Akhtarul Iman to down the line Noon Meem RashidNoon Meem RashidNazar Mohammed Rashed commonly known as Noon Meem Rashed or N.M. Rashed, was born as Raja Nazar Muhmmad Janjua...
, Faiz, Ali Sardar Jafri and Kaifi AzmiKaifi AzmiKaifi Azmi was an Indian Urdu poet. He is considered to be one the greatest Urdu poets of 20th century. Together with Pirzada Qasim, Jon Eliya and many others he participated in many memorable mushairas of 20th century.-Early life:...
. They have covered common life, philosophical thinking, national issues and the precarious predecament of individual human being.
Collection forms of Urdu poetry
The principal collection forms of Urdu poetry are:- DiwanDiwan (poetry)-Etymology:The English usage of the phrase Diwan Poetry comes from the Arabic word diwan , which is loaned from Persian means designated a list or register. The Persian word derived from the Persian dibir meaning writer or scribe...
, a collection of poems, chiefly gazals. - KulliyatKulliyatKulliyat is a collection of the poetry of any one poet.Kulliyat is one of the principal collection forms of Urdu poetry. Literally a kullyat means complete collection of poems, but often applied to any collection containing poems of various kinds....
, literally a complete collection of poems, but often applied to any collection containing poems of various kinds. Thus, Akbar AllahabadiAkbar AllahabadiSyed Akbar Hussain Rizvi popularly known as Akbar Allahabadi was an Indian Urdu poet.-Early life:...
published three kulliyats.
Formation
Urdu poetry forms itself with following basic ingredients:- Bait (بیت)
- Bait-ul-Ghazal (بیت الغزل)
- BeherBeher (poetry)Beher in Urdu poetry is the meter of a sher . It can be considered as the length of the sher. Both the lines in the sher, the couplet, must be of same beher. And all the shers in one ghazal must be of the same beher...
(بحر) - DiwanDiwan (poetry)-Etymology:The English usage of the phrase Diwan Poetry comes from the Arabic word diwan , which is loaned from Persian means designated a list or register. The Persian word derived from the Persian dibir meaning writer or scribe...
(دیوان) - Husn-E-Matla (حسنِ مطلع)
- KalamKalam (poetry)Kalam in Arabic means "talk". In Persian and Urdu poetry, Kalam refers to total poetic work of a poet....
(کلام) - Kulyat (کلیات)
- MaqtaMaqtaThe maqta is the last sher of a ghazal, a collection of Urdu poems, in which the poet's takhallus, or pen name, is employed, often in very creative ways.* Example with TakhallusMeer in neem baaz aankhon mein...
(مقطع) - MatlaMatlaThe Matla is the first sher, or couplet, of a ghazal, a collection of poems in Urdu or Persian poetry.It is possible, although extremely rare, for there to be more than one matla in a ghazal; in this case the second is referred to as matla-e-sani, literally the second matla...
(مطلع) - MavraMavra (poetry)Mavra is a collection of poems written in the poetic style free verse by the Urdu poet Noon Meem Rashid....
(ماوراء) - Misra (مصرع)
- MushairaMushairaMushaira is a poetic symposium. Its a term in Urdu used to describe an event where poets gather to perform their works. A mushaira is a beloved part of the culture of Pakistan and North India, and it is greatly admired by participants as a forum for free self-expression.-Forms:A mushaira can take...
(مشاعرہ) - QaafiyaaQaafiyaaQaafiyaa is a device employed in a form of Urdu poetry known as Ghazal . The Qaafiyaa is the rhyming pattern of words that must directly proceed the Ghazal's Radif...
(قافیہ) - RadifRadifRadif is a rule in Persian, Turkic, and Urdu poetry which states that, in the form of poetry known as a Ghazal, the second line of all the couplets must end with the same word/s. This repeating of common words is the "Radif" of the Ghazal...
(ردیف) - Sher (شعر)
- Shayar (شاعر)
- Shayari (شاعری)
- Tah-Tul-Lafz (تحت اللفظ)
- Takhallus (تخلص)
- Tarannum (ترنم)
- TriveniTriveni (poetry)Triveni is a form of Hindi/Urdu poetry initiated by the poet Gulzar. Unlike sher, a triveni consists of three "hemistichs" . The first two are complete in themselves but the addition of the third misra gives a new dimension....
(تریوینی)
Genres
The major genres of poetry found in Urdu are:- DohaDoha (poetry)namshka:For the town in Kuwait, see Doha and For the city in Qatar, see DohaDoha is a form of self-contained rhyming couplet in poetry...
(دوہا) - Fard (فرد)
- Geet (گیت)
- GhazalGhazalThe ghazal is a poetic form consisting of rhyming couplets and a refrain, with each line sharing the same meter. A ghazal may be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss or separation and the beauty of love in spite of that pain. The form is ancient, originating in 6th century...
(غزل), as practiced by many poets in the Arab tradition. MirMir Taqi MirKhuda-e-sukhan Mir Taqi Mir , whose real name was Muhammad Taqi and takhallus was Mir , was the leading Urdu poet of the 18th century, and one of the pioneers who gave shape to the Urdu language itself...
, Ghalib, Dagh are well-known composers of ghazal. - HamdHamdA Hamd is a poem or song in praise of Allah. A hamd is usually written in Arabic, Persian, Punjabi, or Urdu. The word "hamd" comes from the Qur'an, which Muslims believe to be Allah's Word; its English translation is "Praise"....
(حمد) - Hazal (ہزل)
- Hijv (ہجو)
- Kafi (کافی)
- Madah (مدح)
- ManqabatManqabatA Manqabat is a Sufi devotional poem, in praise of Ali ibn Abi Talib, the son-in-law of Muhammad, or of any Sufi saint.In Qawwali, manqabats are sung to music. The most well known of the qawwali manqabats is "Man Kunto Maula", written by Amir Khusrau in praise of Ali...
(منقبت) - MarsiaMarsiaMarsiya is an elegiac poem written to commemorate the martyrdom and valour of Hussain and his comrades of the Karbala...
(مرثیہ) - MasnaviMasnavi (poetic form)Masnavi, or mathnawī, is the name of a poem written in rhyming couplets, or more specifically, “a poem based on independent, internally rhyming lines”. Most mathnawī followed a meter of eleven, or occasionally ten, syllables, but had no limit in their length...
(مثنوی) - Munajat (مناجات)
- MusaddasMusaddasMusaddas is a genre of Urdu poetry in which each unit consists of 6 lines-sestain- . Famous early writers employing this form are Mir Anis and Dabeer. Maulana Altaf Husain Hali and Waheed Akhtar are other well known poets to find expression in this form of poetry. Particularly iconic is Hali's...
(مسدس) - MukhammasMukhammasMukhammas refers to a type of Persian or Urdu cinquain or pentastich with Sufi connections based on a pentameter.It is one of the more popular verse forms in Tajik Badakhshan, occurring both in madoh and in other performance-genres....
(مخمس) - NaatNaatA Na`at is a poetry that specifically praises the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Many of the famous scholars in the earlier days of Islam wrote Naat. People who recite Naat are known as Naat-Khua'an or Sana'a-Khua'an.-History:...
(نعت) - NazmNazmUrdu Nazm is a major part of the Urdu poetry, that is normally written in rhymed verse and also in modern prose style poems. Nazm has many different forms as,* Doha * Geet * Hamd * Hazal * Hijv...
(نظم) - NohaNohaNoha is a genre of Arabic, Persian, or Urdu prose depicting the martyrdom of the Holy Imams. Strictly speaking noha is the sub-parts of Marsia. Nohas are usually poetry expressing the sorrow felt by Shia Muslims for their leaders....
(نوحہ) - QasidaQasidaThe qaṣīdaᵗ , in Arabic: قصيدة, plural qasā'id, قــصــائـد; in Persian: قصیده , is a form of lyric poetry that originated in preIslamic Arabia...
(قصیدہ) - Qat'ã (قطعہ)
- QawwaliQawwaliQawwali is a form of Sufi devotional music popular in South Asia, particularly in the Punjab and Sindh regions of Pakistan, Hyderabad, Delhi, and other parts of northern India...
(قوالی) - Rubai (رباعی) (a.k.a. Rubayyat or Rubaiyat) (رباعیات)
- Salam (سلام)
- SehraSehraA Sehra is a headdress worn by the groom during Indian weddings. It has garlands hanging that covers the face of the groom...
(سہرا) - Shehr a'ashob (شہر آشوب)
- SozSoazSoaz or soz is an elegiac poem written to commemorate the martyrdom and valour of Hazrat Imam Hussain and his comrades of the Karbala. In its form the soaz, salam and marsia, with a rhyming quatrain, and a couplet on a different rhyme...
(سوز) - Wasokht (وسوخت)
Foreign forms such as the sonnet
Sonnet
A sonnet is one of several forms of poetry that originate in Europe, mainly Provence and Italy. A sonnet commonly has 14 lines. The term "sonnet" derives from the Occitan word sonet and the Italian word sonetto, both meaning "little song" or "little sound"...
, azad nazm or (Free verse
Free verse
Free verse is a form of poetry that refrains from consistent meter patterns, rhyme, or any other musical pattern.Poets have explained that free verse, despite its freedom, is not free. Free Verse displays some elements of form...
) and haiku
Haiku
' , plural haiku, is a very short form of Japanese poetry typically characterised by three qualities:* The essence of haiku is "cutting"...
have also been used by some modern Urdu poets.
Urdu Poetry
Pen names (Takhallus)
In the Urdu poetic tradition, most poets use a pen namePen name
A pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a pseudonym adopted by an author. A pen name may be used to make the author's name more distinctive, to disguise his or her gender, to distance an author from some or all of his or her works, to protect the author from retribution for his or her...
called the Takhallus (تخلص)
. This can be either a part of a poet's given name or something else adopted as an identity. The traditional convention in identifying Urdu poets is to mention the takhallus at the end of the name.
The word takhallus is derived from Arabic, meaning "ending". This is because in the ghazal
Ghazal
The ghazal is a poetic form consisting of rhyming couplets and a refrain, with each line sharing the same meter. A ghazal may be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss or separation and the beauty of love in spite of that pain. The form is ancient, originating in 6th century...
form, the poet would usually incorporate his or her pen name into the final couplet (maqta
Maqta
The maqta is the last sher of a ghazal, a collection of Urdu poems, in which the poet's takhallus, or pen name, is employed, often in very creative ways.* Example with TakhallusMeer in neem baaz aankhon mein...
) of each poem.
Scripts used in poetry
In PakistanPakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, Urdu poetry is written in the standard Nasta'liq calligraphy style of the Perso-Arabic script
Perso-Arabic script
The Persian or Perso-Arabic alphabet is a writing system based on the Arabic script. Originally used exclusively for the Arabic language, the Arabic alphabet was adapted to the Persian language, adding four letters: , , , and . Many languages which use the Perso-Arabic script add other letters...
. However, in India, where Urdu poetry is very popular, the Perso-Arabic is often found transliterated into the Devanāgarī script
Devanagari
Devanagari |deva]]" and "nāgarī" ), also called Nagari , is an abugida alphabet of India and Nepal...
, as an aid for those Hindī
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
-speakers, who can comprehend Urdu, but cannot read the Perso-Arabic script
Perso-Arabic script
The Persian or Perso-Arabic alphabet is a writing system based on the Arabic script. Originally used exclusively for the Arabic language, the Arabic alphabet was adapted to the Persian language, adding four letters: , , , and . Many languages which use the Perso-Arabic script add other letters...
. With the dawn of the internet and globalisation, this poetry is often found written in Roman Urdu
Roman Urdu
Roman Urdu is the name used for the Urdū language written with the Roman alphabet.According to the famous Urdū scholar Habib R. Sulemani: "Roman Urdu is strongly opposed by the traditional Arabic script lovers...
today.
Example
The following is a verse from an Urdu ghazalGhazal
The ghazal is a poetic form consisting of rhyming couplets and a refrain, with each line sharing the same meter. A ghazal may be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss or separation and the beauty of love in spite of that pain. The form is ancient, originating in 6th century...
by Sher Khwaja Mir Dard
Khwaja Mir Dard
Khwaja Mir Dard was born in 1721 and died in 1785. He is one of the three major poets of the Delhi School—the other two being Mir Taqi Mir and 'Sauda'—who could be called the pillars of the classical Urdu ghazal.-Philosophy:...
:
Roman Urdu
Roman Urdu
Roman Urdu is the name used for the Urdū language written with the Roman alphabet.According to the famous Urdū scholar Habib R. Sulemani: "Roman Urdu is strongly opposed by the traditional Arabic script lovers...
:
- dosto dekhā tamāśhā yahāN kā bas.
- tum raho ab hum to apne ghar chale
English translation
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
:
- Friends, I've seen the spectacle of this place- enough!
- You stay here; I'm heading home.
See also
- Bait BaziBait BaziBait Bazi is a verbal game and a genre of Urdu poetry played by composing verses of Urdu poems. The game is common among Urdu speakers in Pakistan and India. It resembles the Malayalam Aksharaslokam and, more generally, the British Crambo....
, a game using Urdu poetry - Maulvi Abdul HaqMaulvi Abdul HaqMaulvi Abdul Haq was a scholar and linguist, who is also regarded as Baba-e-Urdu . He was a champion of the Urdu language and the demand for it to be made the national language of Pakistan.-Early life:...
- father of Modern Urdu - Dr. Rafiq Hussain was the first scholar in undivided India to obtain a Ph.D in Urdu Poetry of Allama Iqbal in 1943.
- List of Urdu poets
- Persian and UrduPersian and UrduThe Persian language influenced the formation of many modern languages of the Greater Middle East, Central Asia, and South Asian regions, including Urdu....
- Progressive Writers' MovementProgressive Writers' MovementThe Anjuman Tarraqi Pasand Mussanafin-e-Hind or Progressive Writers' Movement was a progressive literary movement in the pre-partition British India, consisting of a few different writers groups around the world....
- RekhtaRekhtaRekhta was the Persianized form of the Khariboli dialect of Hindi now known by the names "Hindustani", "Hindi", and "Urdu", although Rekhta is now almost synonymous with Urdu, as its poetry is still used and made today by Urdu speakers. From the late 17th century till the closing decades of the...
- Shayari
- Urdu InformaticsUrdu InformaticsUrdu Informatics relates to the research and contributions in bringing the utilities and usage of Urdu to the modern information and communication technologies in education and business. National Language Authority in Pakistan has been at the forefront in introducing Urdu Informatics as a tool for...
- Urdu literatureUrdu literatureUrdu literature has a long and colorful history that is inextricably tied to the development of that very language, Urdu, in which it is written...
External links
- http://www.bbc.co.uk/voices/multilingual/urdu.shtml#A