Persian · noun · Poetry, Speech & Art
Zameen-e-shairi
ज़मीन-ए-शायरी
said za-meen-e-shaa-i-ri
also written: Zameen
Meaning
The poetic 'ground' of a ghazal: its combined meter, rhyme and refrain.
Literally: ground of poetry
How Iqbal uses it
Choosing a difficult zameen is a test of a poet's craft, since every couplet must rest on the same metrical and rhyming base.
See it in the verse
Zameen-e-shairi in Iqbal’s couplets
Khol aankh, zameen dekh, falak dekh, fiza dekh
Mashriq se ubharte hue suraj ko zara dekh
Mashriq se ubharte hue suraj ko zara dekh
Open your eyes — look at the earth, the sky, the open air; just look at the sun rising in the east.
Awakening · Hope
Na tu zameen ke liye hai na aasman ke liye
Jahan hai tere liye tu nahin jahan ke liye
Jahan hai tere liye tu nahin jahan ke liye
You are not made for the earth, nor for the sky — the world is made for you, you are not made for the world.
Selfhood · Aspiration · Freedom
Khush aa gai hai jahan ko qalandari meri
Wagarna sher mera kya hai shairi kya hai
Wagarna sher mera kya hai shairi kya hai
The world has warmed to the free, unbound spirit in me; otherwise, what is my verse, what is my poetry?
Freedom · Humility · Self-Knowledge