ghazal

Ghazal is a poetic form consisting of a sequence of couplets, each expressing a complete idea but linked by a single rhyme and refrain. The couplets are called shers. The defining features are the radif (the refrain) and the qafia (the rhyming word preceding the refrain). The first couplet, the matla, introduces the rhyme and refrain; the final couplet, the makta, often includes the poet’s takhallus (pen name). Ghazals are usually composed in a strict meter (behr/aruz). Each sher is self-contained, yet all share the same rhyme and refrain.

Themes include love, longing, and separation, often with mystical or spiritual undertones. In performance, ghazals are commonly sung, shaping a strong musical tradition in South Asia; notable performers include Mehdi Hasan, Ghulam Ali, and Jagjit Singh. The form has been carried by Persian and Urdu poets across centuries, with Hafiz, Rumi, Mir, Ghalib, and Faiz among its celebrated masters.

Origin and influence: The ghazal originated in Arabic poetry and was refined in Persian before becoming central in Urdu poetry. From there it spread to other languages and to English-language poets; it remains a living form, both as literature and song.