ghazals

Ghazal is a poetic form consisting of a sequence of couplets that share a common rhyme and refrain. Each couplet, or sher, typically expresses a complete thought, but together the couplets develop a mood of longing, love, or mysticism. Originating in Arabic and Persian poetry, the ghazal evolved in the Persianate world and was later adopted in Urdu, Turkish, and other languages, where it became a central literary and musical form in South Asia.

Form and structure: A ghazal adheres to a single metrical pattern. The rhyming scheme involves a qaafiya (the rhyme) and a radif (the refrain) that appears at the end of the second line of each couplet. The first couplet, matla, ends with both the qaafiya and the radif; the final couplet, maqta, is often marked by the poet’s takhallus (pen name). Most couplets are autonomous, so any one sher can be read independently.

Themes and style: Ghazals typically explore love and longing, earthly or divine, with Sufi poetry frequently using the beloved as a symbol of the divine. The language favors rich imagery, metaphor, and compact expression, with a mood that can be intimate, melancholic, or philosophical. In performance, ghazals are commonly sung to classical melodies, and they have a long-standing presence in South Asian musical tradition as well as in printed poetry.

Notable poets and influence: Persian ghazal masters include Hafiz and Rumi; in Urdu, Mir Taqi Mir, Mirza Ghalib, Allama Iqbal, Faiz Ahmed Faiz, and Ahmed Faraz are prominent. Parveen Shakir represents a modern voice in Urdu ghazal. The form continues to influence lyric poetry and remains a live performance staple in festivals and concerts around the world.