Subject: Meter (Ghazals) Date: Thu, 26 Nov 1998 14:37:13 -0600 From: Parul Trivedi Organization: UW-Madison Newsgroups: alt.language.urdu.poetry Aadab everyone. The main (common) feets used in urdu poetry. The 'Feet Name' has the name of the feet with upper and lower case letters. Upper case letters identify primary stress whereas the lower case secondary stress. The 'Broken down as' column breaks the feet to aid in pronunciation when viewed in conjunction with the "Pattern and Length' column. For example in 'Seq #' B the 'FA" is like AA as in AAJ where as in 'Seq # C' fa is like A in asar. ( 2 is long syllable and 1 is short syllable. ) The 'Primary Stress on' coloumn indicates which syllables in the feet have primary stress and in a way it is redundant since upper-case and lower case letters identify stress also. Feet Name Broken down as Primary stress on Pattern and Length FA FA FA 2 FAi FA and i FA 2 1 faIL fa and IL IL 1 2 FAlun FA and lun FA 2 2 faLUN fa and LUN LUN 2 2 fuUl fu and U and l U 1 2 1 mafUl maf and U and l U 2 2 1 fiaLAt fi and a and LA and t LA 1 1 2 1 fuUlun fu and U and lun U 1 2 2 faiLUN fa and i and LUN LUN 2 1 2 FAilun FA and i and lun FA 2 1 2 faLAn fa and LA and n LA 2 2 1 faiLAtun fa and i and LA and tun LA 1 1 2 2 MUFtailun MUF and ta and i and lun MUF 2 1 1 2 mafaIl ma and fa and I and l I 1 2 2 1 maFAilun ma and FA and i and lun FA 1 2 1 2 Failat FA and i and la and t FA 2 1 2 1 maFAiLUN mu and FA and i and LUN FA and LUN 1 2 2 2 FAilaTUN FA and i and la and TUN FA and TUN 2 1 2 2 mutaFAilun mu and ta and FA FA 1 1 2 1 2 and i and lun musTAFilun mus and TAF and i and lun TAF 2 2 1 2 MAFulLAt MAF and ul and LA and t MAF and LA 2 2 2 1 Following are some of the most common meters used in Urdu poetry. I have given an example for some of them. The ones that I have left out are the ones I could not think of so if anyone can find an example (especially for the long ones) please post it. Next time you read any form of Urdu Poetry (except free verse and rubai which has its own set of meters) see if it fits in any one of the meter. If not look at the feet (above) as see if you can find a pattern and come up with the meter. Some poets have created their own meter. Easy meters 1. 1 2 2 1 2 2 1 2 2 1 2 2 ye mahalo.n, ye taKto.n, ye taajo.n kii duniyaa ye inasaa.n ke dushman samaajo.n kii duniyaa ye daulat ke bhuukhe rivaazo.n kii duniyaa ye duniyaa agar mil bhii jaaye to kyaa hai ---Sahir 2. 1 2 2 1 2 2 1 2 2 1 2 tumhArI nazar kyo.n khafA ho gaI khatA bakhsh do gar khatA ho gaI hamArA irAdA to kuchh bhI na thA tumhArI khatA khud sazA ho gaI--- Sahir 3. 1 2 2 2 1 2 2 2 1 2 2 2 1 2 2 2 chalo ik baar phir se, ajanabii ban jaae.n ham dono---Sahir 4. 1 2 2 2 1 2 2 2 1 2 2 /1 2 2 1 bahaaro.n, meraa jiivan bhii savaaro.n koI Ae kahI.n se, yU.N pukAro tumhii.n se dil ne sIkhaa hai ta.Dapanaa tumhii.n ko doshh duu.ngii, ai nazaaro.n-- Kaifi Azmi... 5. 2 1 2 2 2 1 2 2 2 1 2 2 6. 2 1 2 2 2 1 2 2 2 1 2 /2 1 2 1 7. 2 1 2 2 2 1 2 2 2 1 2 2 2 1 2/ 2 1 2 1 8. 2 1 2 2 2 1 2 2 2 1 2 2 2 9. 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 Koi yeh kah de gulshan gulshan Laakh balaain ek nasheman---Jigar 10. 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 yeh sehan-o-ravish yeh kaaki-o-gul, hone do jo weeran hote hain takhrib-e-janoon ke parde mein, taamir ke saamaan hote hain---Jigar This meter is double of # 9 and it is required that a natural pause/break (so as to speak) occur midway. (Indicated by comma above). 11. 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 (paatta, paatta.................Meer) 12. 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 /1 2 2 1 13. 2 1 2 1 2 2 2 14. 2 1 2 2 1 2 1 2 Medium difficulty level 15. 2 2 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 2 2 2 16. 2 1 2 2 1 2 1 2 2 2 /2 2 1 or 1 1 2 2 1 2 1 2 2 2 / 2 2 1 -Dil-e-Nadan---Ghalib This is a very common meter and almost all the poets have used it. 17. 2 1 2 2 1 1 2 2 2 2 / 2 2 1 or 1 1 2 2 1 1 2 2 2 2 / 2 1 --- Kab wo sunta hai kahani meri------Ghalib 18. 2 1 2 2 1 1 2 2 1 1 2 2 2 2 / 2 2 1/ 1 1 2 1 or 1 2 2 2 1 1 2 2 1 1 2 2 2 2 / 2 2 1/ 1 1 2 1 A very sweet meter - tons of movie songs in this bher. paa.Nv chhuu lene do phuulo.n ko inaayat hogii, inaayat hogii varanaa hamako nahii.n, inako bhii shikaayat hogii shikaayat hogii 19. 2 2 1 2 1 2 1 1 2 2 1 2 1 2/1 2 1 2 1 mai.n zi.ndagii kaa saath nibhaataa chalaa gayaa har fikr ko dhu.Ne.n me.n u.Daataa chalaa gayaa----Sahir 20. 2 2 1 1 2 2 1 1 2 2 1 1 2 2 Ye sulf agar khul ke bekhar jaya to acchha----Sahir or the one that was posted by Sana-.Kafiya and radif of ....inkar na karna 21. 1 1 2 1 2 1 2 2 1 1 2 1 2 1 2 2 ye ne thi hamari kismat----Ghalib 22. 2 1 2 1 2 2 2 2 1 2 1 2 2 2 parbato.n ke pe.Do.n par shaam kaa baseraa hai----Sahir 23. 1 2 1 2 1 1 2 2 1 2 1 2 2 2/ 2 21 - firaq ghazal posted by Raj Shaib kabhii kabhii mere dil me.n Kayaal aataa hai-Sahir Difficult meters. ---Even masters have written a hand full of Ghazals in this meter. 24. 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 abhii na jaao chho.D kar ke dil abhii bharaa nahii.n----Sahir 25. 1 2 1 2 2 1 2 1 2 2 1 2 1 2 2 1 2 1 2 2 yeh kis qayaamat ki be-kasi hai, na main hi apna, ne yaar mera na Khaatir-e-be qaraar meri, na deeda-e-ashkbaar mera nishaan-e-turbat ayaan nahin hai, nahin, ke baqi nishaan nahin hai masaar mera kahaan nahin hai, kahin nahin hai mazaar mera--------Fani Badayuni 26. 2 1 1 2 2 2 1 1 2 2 2 1 1 2 2 2 1 1 2 2 27. 2 2 1 2 2 2 1 2 2 2 1 2 2 2 1 2 28. 1 1 2 1 2 1 1 2 1 2 The famous Ghazal by Zafar- ne kisi ki aakeh ka noor hon................. or ne to karwan ke taalash hai------Sahir 29. 1 1 2 1 1 2 1 1 2 1 1 2 30. 2 1 1 2 1 2 1 2 2 1 1 2 1 2 1 2/1 2 1 2 1 or 2 1 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 1 2 1 2 1 2/ 1 2 1 2 1 Ghalib's 'ki youn' radif ghazal. 31. 2 1 1 2 2 1 12 2 1 2 32. 12112 1 2 11 2 12 112 12 11 2 33. 2 2 1 2 2 2 1 2 2 2 1 2 34. 2 2 1 2 2 2 2 1 2 2 35. 2 2 1 1 2 1 2 1 2 2/ 1 2 2 1 or 2 2 2 2 1 2 12 2/1 2 2 1 36. 2112 2121 2112 2 37 212 212 212 212 212 212 212 212 tum agar saath dena ka vada karo...................Sahir