Urdu poetry topics, forms, and terminology

The poetry of any language is judged by various factors. The variety is the spice of the poetry of any language. Different factors, which are used to weigh the poetry of any language, are the topic diversity, forms, and terminology. The same is the case with the poetry in Urdu language.

The following is a brief overview of the topics, forms, and terminologies used in the Urdu poetry.

• Topic diversity of Urdu poetry

The topics of the Urdu poetry have varied with time. For example, the initial Urdu poetry was aimed to promote harmony between the people who spoke various languages. Gradually as the Urdu language developed, the poetry became romantic. However, most of the poems were about one-sided love and the stubbornness of the beloved. With passing time, the romance from the Urdu poetry waned a little. The new topics were current affairs, political situation, and the issues of social importance.

• Forms of Urdu poetry

There are more than a dozen forms of Urdu poetry. The most popular have always remained the Nazm and the Ghazal. Other than these two popular forms, the religious poems in Urdu poetry have various forms. Some of the most popular examples include amd, Naat, Marsia Hamd, Naat, Marsia, Tazkira, etc.

• Terminology of Urdu poetry

         

The presence of sufficient terminologies is also an indicator of the health of the poetry of any language. The Urdu poetry is very rich in terminologies. For example, the terminology used for the verse or couplet is called the ‘sher’.