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Although Urdu Poetry is a very intricate subject that manifests itself in many different forms, there are certain basic ingredients that characterize every Urdu poem. We will now take a look at how a basic Urdu poem is structured and familiarize ourselves with some of its basic ingredients.

In Urdu Poetry, a poem usually takes the form of a ghazal. A ghazal is a collection of multiple couplets, called “ashaar”, that adhere to the rules of “bahar”, “radeef”, “matla”, “maqta”, and “qafiya”. Each couplet, or “sher” expresses a single thought and can stand alone. To understand how the typical Urdu poem is structured, it is vital that you understand what each of these five terms refer to.
Bahar. In Urdu Poetry, “bahar” refers to the meter, or length, of a couplet. Each line of a couplet must have the same bahar as the other. In addition, every single couplet in a ghazal must have the same bahar. Urdu Poetry uses 19 different types of bahar which can be classified into short, medium, and long meters.

Radeef. Radeef in Urdu Poetry refers to the same word or phrase that is repeated at the end of the second line of every couplet. Keep in mind that the radeef are always the exact, same words for every ghazal.

Matla. Matla in Urdu Poetry refers to the first couplet in a ghazal. Both lines of a ghazal’s matla must end in the radeef.

Maqta. Traditionally, poets of Urdu Poetry usually use pen names which are called Takhallus. The takhallus is usually incorporated into the last couplet of the poem as a sort of signature. The last couplet of a ghazal that contains the takhallus is called the “maqta”.

Qafiya. The “qafiya” refers to the rhyming pattern that is used just before the radeef at the end of every couplet. The qafiya is necessary to the function of every Urdu poem, even when the other rules are not adhered to.

Now that you know what each of the five terms refer to, we turn our attention to how they govern an Urdu poem’s structure. First, every couplet of a ghazal will have a completely different theme from all the other couplets in the same ghazal. Second, all the couplets of a ghazal must have the same bahar. Every single couplet in a ghazal must also end in the same radeef and use the same qafiya. Every Urdu poem has a matla but some may not have a maqta.

Like with most rules, there are also a number of exceptions:

• There are some ghazals that do not contain radeef.

• Sometimes, the ashaar of a ghazal will have the same theme.

• Modern Urdu Poetry is much less restrictive with the use of bahar than in the past.

If you are feeling a little confused, know that that is absolutely normal. It is completely understandable if you don’t get it the first time you read it. Take a deep breath a try to slowly digest the information. It really is a lot easier than you think

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Urdu poetry adheres to a number of strict rules that give way to its unique poetic structure. These rules govern the groups of versed lines that are used in every Urdu poem and dictate their meter, rhythm, rhyming pattern, ending words, and the location of the poet’s signature. Despite these strict rules, Urdu poetry has evolved into an incredibly colourful art that manifests itself in a myriad of different forms.

Each of the forms of Urdu poetry has unique characteristics that differentiate them from all the others. Although we won’t be able to cover every single form in this article, we will take a look at some of the more popular ones:

Ghazal. The Ghazal is a collection of many couplets (called “shers”), or pairs of lined verse that follow the rules of bahar, radeef, matla, maqta, and qafiya. Every couplet in a Ghazal should express a single thought or focus on a certain theme in such a way that it has the ability to stand alone. Each couplet in a Ghazal must have the same meter, bahar, the same rhyming pattern, qafiya, and must end in the same words, radeef. Each couplet must also have an opening couplet called a matla. Some Ghazals in Urdu poetry have the pen name of the poet incorporated into the last couplet, which is then called maqta.

Marsiya. A Marsiya is an elegantly written poem whose purpose is to express sorrow over the death of a great man or a deeply-loved person. From a historical perspective, the traditional Marsiya of Urdu poetry was composed to honour the self-sacrifice of Hazrat Imam Husain and his troops at the Battle of Karbala. This type of Marsiya describes how Hazrat Imam Husain and his comrades fought Yazid’s army on Karbala’s plains.

Masnawi. A Masnawi is a long, narrative epic poem that depicts stories of great battles that were fought in the past. They usually include a philosophical or ethical thought. A Masnawi is much longer than a Ghazal and it contains rhyming couplets. However, each of the couplets have a different rhyming pattern and end in different words.

Qasida. A Qasida is very long ballad that is written to praise a king or a nobleman. It sometimes also describes great battles. It is not unusual to find a Qasida that is more than 100 couplets long. Like the Ghazal, the Qasida starts with a rhyming couplet and uses the same qafiya, or rhyming pattern, throughout the poem. The Ghazal as we know it today was originally derived from the Qasida.

Nazm. In Urdu poetry, the word “Nazm” is used to describe a poem that cannot be classified under any particular form. From a literary perspective, each verse in the Nazm is built upon one central theme, as opposed to the theme variation of the couplets in a Ghazal. The verses of a traditional Nazm adhere to the same rhyming pattern, but more modern Nazms may be written in free verse.

As you can see from this short description of some of the different forms of Urdu poetry, the subject is a very intricate and wide-ranging one. It normally takes a dedicated student years and years to master the art of Urdu poetry. But that knowledge shouldn’t stop you from reading and enjoying the fantastic poems of this very special form of art.