Urdu poetry


Urdu poetry is a rich tradition of poetry and has many different forms. Today, it is an important part of the cultures of South Asia. According to Naseer Turabi there are five major poets of Urdu which are Mir Taqi Mir, Mirza Ghalib, Mir Anees, Allama Iqbal and Josh Malihabadi. The language of Urdu reached its pinnacle under the British Raj, and it received official status. All famous writers of Urdu language including Ghalib and Iqbal were given British scholarships. Following the Partition of India in 1947, it found major poets and scholars were divided along the nationalistic lines. However, Urdu poetry is cherished in both the nations. Both the Muslims and Hindus from across the border continue the tradition.
It is fundamentally performative poetry and its recital, sometimes impromptu, is held in Mushairas. Although its tarannum saaz has undergone major changes in recent decades, its popularity among the masses remains unaltered. Mushairas are today held in metropolitan areas worldwide because of the cultural influence of South Asian diaspora. Ghazal singing and Qawwali are also important expository forms of Urdu poetry.

Forms

The principal forms of Urdu poetry are:
The principal collection forms of Urdu poetry are:
Urdu poetry forms itself with following basic ingredients:
The major genres of poetry found in Urdu are:
In the Urdu poetic tradition, most poets use a pen name called the Takhallus. 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 of each poem.

Scripts used in poetry

In Pakistan and Deccan region of India, Urdu poetry is written in the standard Nasta'liq calligraphy style of the Perso-Arabic script. However, in north 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 globalization, this poetry is often found written in Roman Urdu as well as in Hindi script.

Example of Urdu ghazal

The following is a verse from an Urdu ghazal by Syed Khwaja Mir Dard:
Urdu:
Roman Urdu:
English translation: