A sung form of the Urdu-Persian love lyric, each couplet a self-contained thought.
Literally: lyric poem of rhyming couplets
The ghazal is the classic lyric of independent rhyming couplets, traditionally the vehicle of love and longing. Iqbal inherits its music but charges it with philosophy, self-assertion, and the call to action, stretching the love-lyric to carry a whole vision of life. In his hands the beloved often becomes truth, the self, or the divine.
Ghazal in Iqbal’s couplets
Mire samar se mai-e-laala-faam paida kar
Mere samar se mai-e-lala-fam paida kar
Ghazal-gayaki
The art of ghazal-singing, setting the couplets to melody with tender inflection.
Taranum
The melodious chanting of poetry, midway between recitation and song.
Sher
A lion or tiger; the emblem of royal courage and might. Also a couplet of verse.
Qaseeda
A long monorhyme ode, often of praise, eulogy, or exhortation.
Shaa'iri
The art and practice of composing poetry.