nazms

Nazm is a form of Urdu and Persian poetry that emphasizes a cohesive theme or mood over the strict structural constraints of the ghazal. The term nazm, deriving from Persian, conveys arrangement or order, and in practice denotes a single, unified composition that may explore a topic in depth. Nazms are typically written in prose-like lines or free verse, with variable line lengths and irregular meters, and are often presented in stanzas or as continuous blocks.

Historically, the nazm evolved from classical Persian poetics and was developed within Urdu literature in the 19th and 20th centuries as a vehicle for modernist and reformist expression. It accommodates direct narration, social critique, philosophical reflection, nationalism, and personal lyricism. The form allows a wide range of diction, from formal to colloquial.

Prominent Urdu poets associated with nazm include Allama Iqbal, Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Ahmed Faraz, Josh Malihabadi, Kaifi Azmi, and Parveen Shakir. Their nazms address topics such as spiritual aspiration, political consciousness, social justice, and everyday life. The nazm is often contrasted with the ghazal, which relies on a fixed rhyme scheme and couplets; the nazm offers greater formal flexibility and centers on the unity of a subject rather than on refrains.

In contemporary South Asian poetry, nazm remains a common form in journals, anthologies, and classroom reading. It has influenced translations and experimentation with form in related literatures and continues to be used to express a wide range of human experience in Urdu and its literary milieu.