A Metrical Analysis of My Poems

Those who know me are well aware of my OCD-like obsession for the sanctity of meter (bahr) in poetry, especially urdu ghazals and nazms with rhyme. This obsession, however, is not very old though. As I have written  earlier, I had spent years writing poetry (or at least what I thought was poetry) with no understanding of meters. But once I learnt more about it, it became an obsession. Whenever I come across a ghazal or a nazm following a particular rhyming pattern, I first have to read a few lines to catch the rhythm of the meter before I can really dive into the words and their meaning. This is not to say that I have mastered the art and technique of prosody, Far from it, there is still a lot more to be learned. I still do not understand the technicalities behind the metrical feet in Urdu prosody and depend wholly on the rhythm, I still stumble on some finer nuances of scansion and end up making mistakes while writing (some have carried over to my published book), and there are still some meters that I cannot grasp easily. But that only strengthens my resolve to learn more.

Someone once asked me the number of different meters in which I have composed my ghazals and nazms. I was taken aback by this question, as I had never consciously counted or even felt the need to count the number. So I decided to do some mathematical analysis of my meter-based poems to check how frequently a particular meter appeared in my poetry. It was quite a revelation: in the 491 couplets of 71 ghazals and meter-based nazms that I have written, I have used 23 different meters (or 19 if you do not count the pairs that can coexist within a poem as separate). What was not surprising was that almost two thirds of my poems were written in just seven meters. These are meters towards whose rhythm I have natural affinity. Three out of these seven meters have been listed by both Shamsur Rahman Faruqi¹ and G. D Pybus² as being the among the most popular meters in all of Urdu poetry.

My choice of meters is driven by one or a combination of the following:

• Combination of chosen rhyme words (qafiya) and/or refrain (radeef)
• Meters whose rhythm come very naturally to me
• Meters I have not used before (this has come into play only now when I clearly know which meters I have already used)

I am listing down the various meters I have employed in my poetry along with their technical names, metrical feet, syllable pattern(s) and examples, one from a poem or a song by a known poet/lyricist, and another from mine. I have used the standard symbols that many people use i.e = for a long syllable and - for a short one, with / denoting the end of a metrical foot and // representing a mid-point break or caesura in some meters.

I am also providing the metrical feet or arkaan (singular - rukn) that constitute a particular meter. These metrical feet are defined by way of meaningless words called afaa’iil (singular - f’el) that signify the presence of a long or short syllable.

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Meter 1

Technical Name: Muzaar’e Musamman Akhrab Makfuuf Mahzuuf

Metrical Feet (Arkaan) and Afaa’iil: maf-‘uu-l / faa-‘i-laa-tu / ma-faa-‘ii-l / faa-‘i-lun

Syllable Sequence: = = - / = - = - / - = = - / = - =

Usage: 11 ghazals & 4 nazms; 107 couplets

Example:

1. barbaadiyo.n ka sog manaanaa fuzuul thaa
   barbaadiyo.n ka jashn manaataa chalaa gayaa
   (Sahir, Film: Hum Dono)
2. rakkhega yaad ham ko ba-har-haal ye jahaa.n
   hastii hamaarii dard kii tamsiil ho ga.ii
   (Naaqid)

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Meter 2

Technical Name: Rajaz Musamman Saalim

Metrical Feet (Arkaan) and Afaa’iil: mus-taf-‘i-lun / mus-taf-‘i-lun / mus-taf-‘i-lun / mus-taf-‘i-lun

Syllable Sequence: = = - = / = = - = / = = - = / = = - =

Usage: 7 ghazals & 1 nazm; 45 couplets

Example:

1. kal chaudhvii.n kii raat thii shab bhar raha charcha tiraa
   kuchh ne kahaa ye chaa.nd hai kuchh ne kahaa chehraa tiraa
   (Ibne Insha)
2. dil luutne ka ye hunar seekhe to koii aap se
   is shahr me.n charche hai.n ab hai aap hii kii dhaak bhii
   (Naaqid)

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Meter 3 & 4

Technical Name: Ramal Musamman Makhbuun Mahzuuf Maqtuu.a & Ramal Musamman Makhbuun Mahzuuf

Metrical Feet (Arkaan) and Afaa’iil: fa(a)-‘i-laa-tun / fa-‘i-laa-tun / fa-‘i-laa-tun / f‘e-lun or fa(a)-‘i-laa-tun / fa-‘i-laa-tun / fa-‘i-laa-tun / fa-‘i-lun

Syllable Sequence: =* - = = / - - = = / - - = = / = = and =* - = = / - - = = / - - = = / - - =

Usage: 5 ghazals & 2 nazms; 56 couplets

Example:

1. ishq par zor nahii.n hai ye wo aatish Ghalib
   jo lagaa.e na lage aur bujhaa.e na bane
   (Ghalib)
2. huu.n to hargiz nahi.n paaband-e-qawaa’id ‘Naaqid’
   apni awaargi pe mujh ko magar naaz nahii.n
   (Naaqid)

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Meter 5

Technical Name: Muzaar’e Musamman Akhrab

Metrical Feet (Arkaan) and Afaa’iil: maf-‘uu-l / faa-‘i-laa-tun // maf-‘uu-l / faa-‘i-laa-tun

Syllable Sequence: = = - / = - = = // = = - / = - = =

Usage: 3 ghazals & 4 nazms; 53 couplets

Example:

1. saare jahaa.n se achchhaa hindostaa.n hamaaraa
   ham bulbule.n hain iskii ye gulsitaa.n hamaaraa
   (Iqbal)
2. jo sham’a karti roshan taariik zindagi ko
   uj.Rii mazaar par kyuu.n tanhaa machal rahi hai
   (Naaqid)

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Meter 6

Technical Name: Ramal Musamman Mahzuuf

Metrical Feet (Arkaan) and Afaa’iil: faa-‘i-laa-tun / faa-‘i-laa-tun / faa-‘i-laa-tun / fa-‘i-lun

Syllable Sequence: = - = = / = - = = / = - = = / = - =

Usage: 4 ghazals & 1 nazm; 34 couplets

Example:

1. naqsh faryaadii hai kis ki shoKhi-e-tahriir kaa
   kaaGazii hai pairahan har paikar-e-tasviir kaa
   (Ghalib)
2. liijiye diiwaan-e-'Naaqid' aap hii ke naam hai
   ham kahaa.n in betuke ash’aar ko le jaae.nge
   (Naaqid)

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Meter 7

Technical Name: No specific technical name, simply called Behr-e-Mir as Mir Taqi Mir was the one who experimented most with this meter, which otherwise is not present in Persian or Arabic prosody.

Metrical Feet (Arkaan) and Afaa’iil: This meter does not exist in Arabic or Persian poetry. It can be represented in terms of standard feet (arkaans), but given the large number of variations allowed in this meter, I am not listing them down

Syllable Sequence: = ( = ) / = ( = ) / = ( = ) / = = // = ( = ) / = ( = ) / = ( = ) / = (any even numbered long syllable can be broken into two shorts, some of the = = feet can broken into - = -)

Usage: 2 ghazals & 1 nazm; 24 couplets

Example:

1. ulTii ho ga.ii.n sab tadbiire.n kuchh na davaa ne kaam kiya
   dekha is biimari-e-dil ne aaKhir kaam tamaam kiya
   (Mir Taqi Mir)
2. hamne taKhallus 'Naaqid' rakkha yaktaaii kii chaahat me.n
   tab jaana kuchh aur kalaam is naam se hai mansuub hua
   (Naaqid)

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Meter 8

Technical Name: Hazaj Musamman Maqbuuz

Metrical Feet (Arkaan) and Afaa’iil: ma-faa-‘i-lun / ma-faa-‘i-lun / ma-faa-‘i-lun / ma-faa-‘i-lun

Syllable Sequence: - = - = / - = - = / - = - = / - = - =

Usage: 3 ghazals; 19 couplets

Example:

1. pukarta chalaa huu.n mai.n galii galii bahaar kii
   bas ek chhao.n zulf kii bas ik nigaah pyaar kii
   (Majrooh Sultanpuri; Film: Mere Sanam)
2. na huu.n suKhanshinaas mai.n na lafzo.n kii koii samajh
   ye log mere she’ro.n par hain karte waah waah kya
   (Naaqid)

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Meter 9

Technical Name: Hazaj Musamman Saalim

Metrical Feet (Arkaan) and Afaa’iil: ma-faa-‘ii-lun / ma-faa-‘ii-lun / ma-faa-‘ii-lun / ma-faa-‘ii-lun

Syllable Sequence: - = = = / - = = = / - = = = / - = = =

Usage: 3 ghazals; 19 couplets

Example:

1. hazaaro.n Khwaahishe.n aisi ki har Khwaahish pe dam nikle
   bahut nikle mire armaan lekin phir bhi kam nikle
   (Ghalib)
2. jo hotaa hai yahaa.n dahshatnumaa 'aks-e-haqiiqat bhii
   hai laazim ye ki vaa baab-e-taKhayyul koi kartaa hai
   (Naaqid)

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Meter 10 & 11

Technical Name: Mujtas Musamman Makhbuun Mahzuuf Maqtuu.a & Mujtas Musamman Makhbuun Mahzuuf

Metrical Feet (Arkaan) and Afaa’iil: ma-faa-‘i-lun / fa-‘i-laa-tun / ma-faa-‘i-lun / f’e-l and ma-faa-‘i-lun / fa-‘i-laa-tun / ma-faa-‘i-lun  / fa-‘i-lun

Syllable Sequence: - = - = / - - = = / - = - = / = = and - = - = / - - = = / - = - = / - - =

Usage: 3 ghazals; 18 couplets

Example:

1. jahaan-e-dil pe hukuumat tumhe.n mubaarak ho
   rahii shikast to wo apne naam kar loo.ngaa
   (Kaifi Azmi, Film: Naunihal)
2. Guruub-o-sharq hai.n taqdiir-e-Khur magar mujhko
   nasheb hii nazar aata hai ab faraaz nahii.n
   (Naaqid)

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Meter 12

Technical Name: Hazaj Musamman Akhrab Makfuuf Mahzuuf

Metrical Feet (Arkaan) and Afaa’iil: maf-‘uu-l / ma-faa-‘ii-l / ma-faa-‘ii-l / fa-‘uu-lun

Syllable Sequence: = = - / - = = - / - = = - / - = =

Usage: 3 ghazals; 17 couplets

Example:

1. hai.n aur bhi dunyaa me.n suKhanvar bahut achchhe
   kehte hai.n ki Ghalib ka hai andaaz-e-bayaa.n aur
   (Ghalib)
2. mumkin hai gavaaraa nahi.n hai unko ye suhbat
   warna ye hai kyaa maajara wo ham se hai.n Khaamosh
   (Naaqid)

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Meter 13

Technical Name: Mutaqaarib Musamman Saalim

Metrical Feet (Arkaan) and Afaa’iil: fa-‘uu-lun / fa-‘uu-lun / fa-‘uu-lun  / fa-‘uu-lun

Syllable Sequence: - = = / - = = / - = = / - = =

Usage: 1 ghazal & 2 nazms; 16 couplets

Example:

1. muhabbat ki jhuuTi kahaanii pe ro.e
   ba.Rii choT khaa.ii jawaanii pe ro.e
   (Shakeel Badayuni; Film: Mughal-e-Azam)
2. masaa.il ke yuu.n silsile to bahut hai.n
   liye aafate.n zalzale to bahut hai.n
   nahii.n chaahiye ham ko ek aur deewaar
   yahaa.n darmiyaa.n faasle to bahut hai.n
   (Naaqid)

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Meter 14 & 15

Technical Name: Khafiif Musaddas Makhbuun Mahzuuf Maqtuu.a & Khafiif Musaddas Makhbuun Mahzuuf

Metrical Feet (Arkaan) and Afaa’iil: fa(a)-‘i-laa-tun / ma-faa-‘i-lun / f’e-l and fa(a)-‘i-laa-tun / ma-faa-‘i-lun / fa-‘i-lun

Syllable Sequence: =* - = = / - = - = / = = and =* - = = / - = - = / - - =

Usage: 1 ghazal & 1 nazm; 20 couplets

Example:

1. naazukii us ke lab ki kyaa kahiye
   pankhuRi ik gulaab kii sii hai
   (Mir)
2. nuur hotaa nahii.n jahaa.n me.n agar
   ’aks hote kahaa.n kahaa.n saa.e
   (Naaqid)

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Meter 16

Technical Name: Hazaj Musaddas Mahzuuf

Metrical Feet (Arkaan) and Afaa’iil: ma-faa-‘ii-lun / ma-faa-‘ii-lun / fa-‘uu-lun

Syllable Sequence: - = = = / - = = = / - = =

Usage: 2 ghazal; 16 couplets

Example:

1. kahe kyaa haa.e zaKhm-e-dil hamaara
   dahan paayaa lab-e-goyaa na paayaa
   (Zauq)
2. chala chal sar uTha kar yaar 'Naaqid'
   lagii ab tak ko.ii tuhmat nahii.n hai
   (Naaqid)

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Meter 17 & 18

Technical Name: Hazaj Musaddas Akhram Ashtar Mahzuuf & Hazaj Musaddas Akhrab Maqbuuz Mahzuuf

Metrical Feet (Arkaan) and Afaa’iil: maf-‘uu-lun / faa-‘i-lun / fa-‘uu-lun and maf-‘uu-l / ma-faa-‘i-lun  / fa-‘uu-lun

Syllable Sequence: = = = /= - = / - = = and = = - / - = - = / - = =

Usage: 2 ghazal; 13 couplets

Example:

1. dil pahlu me.n naa-tawaa.n bahut hai
   biimaar miraa giraa.n bahut hai
   (Mir Taqi Mir)
2. Khaamoshi hai ittilaa.a detii
   bar-paa hogaa futuur aaKhir
   (Naaqid)

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Meter 19

Technical Name: Hazaj Musamman Ashtar

Metrical Feet (Arkaan) and Afaa’iil: faa-‘i-lun / ma-faa-‘ii-lun //  faa-‘i-lun / ma-faa-‘ii-lun

Syllable Sequence: = - = / - = = = // = - = / - = = =

Usage: 1 ghazal; 7 couplets

Example:

1. ishq se tabiiyat ne ziist kaa mazaa paayaa
   dard kii davaa paa.ii dard be-davaa paayaa
   (Ghalib)
2. shoKhiyo.n ne dil jiitaa qahqahe bhi raas aa.e
   ra.ng 'Naaqid' aaKhir ho guftagoo ka sanjiida
   (Naaqid)

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Meter 20

Technical Name: Ramal Musaddas Mahzuuf

• Metrical Feet (Arkaan) and Afaa’iil: faa-‘i-laa-tun / faa-‘i-laa-tun / faa-‘i-lun

Syllable Sequence: = - = = / = - = = / = - =

Usage: 1 ghazal; 7 couplets

Example:

1. raah-e-daur-e-ishq me.n rotaa hai kyaa
   aage aage dekhiye hotaa hai kyaa
   (Mir Taqi Mir)
2. shaa’irii ke husn ko aazaad kar
   ’Naaqid’ apnaa bahr kii paabandiyaa.n
   (Naaqid)

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Meter 21

Technical Name: Mutaqaarib Musamman Asram

Metrical Feet (Arkaan) and Afaa’iil: f’e-lun / fa-‘uu-lun //  f’e-lun / fa-‘uu-lun

Syllable Sequence: = = / - = = // = =  / - = =

Usage: 1 ghazal; 7 couplets

Example:

1. usne koii Khat likkhaa nahii.n hai
   usko likhe hai.n mai.n ne ka.ii Khat
   (Bhatnagar ‘Shadab’)
2. mat Dhuu.nDh 'Naaqid' hai.n wo kahaa.n jo
   qaa’il ho.n tere ‘arz-o-bayaa.n ke
   (Naaqid)

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Meter 22

Technical Name: Hazaj Musamman Akhrab

Metrical Feet (Arkaan) and Afaa’iil: maf-‘uu-l / ma-faa-‘ii-lun //  maf-‘uu-l / ma-faa-‘ii-lun

Syllable Sequence: = = - / - = = = // = = - / - = = =

Usage: 1 ghazal; 6 couplets

Example:

1. hangaama hai kyuu.n bar-paa thoRii si jo pii lii hai
   Daakaa to nahii.n Daala chorii to nahii.n kii hai
   (Akbar Allahabadi)
2. kirdaar chamakne me.n ik umr si lagtii hai
   baazaar me.n ae jaahil tahziib nahii.n miltii
   (Naaqid)

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Meter 23

Technical Name: Mutaqaarib Musaddas Muzaa’af Maqbuuz Aslam

Metrical Feet (Arkaan) and Afaa’iil: fa-‘uu-l / f’e-lun / fa-‘uu-lu / f’e-lun / fa-‘uu-l / f’e-lun

Syllable Sequence: - = - / = = / - = - / = = / - = - / = =

Usage: 1 ghazal; 6 couplets

Example:

1. koii safar ho tumhii.n ko manzil samajh ke jaauu.N
   koii masaafat ho tum mirii hii lagan me.n aao
   (Ahmad Faraz)
2. chiraaG kab tak yahaa.n jalegaa ye kaun jaane
   hawaa ki raftaar tai karegii jale ki ho gul
   (Naaqid)

... Continued in Part 2

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References:

1. Urdu Meter: A Practical Handbook by Frances W. Pritchett & Khaliq Ahmad Khaliq
2. A Textbook of Urdu Prosody and Rhetoric by Captain G. D Pybus
3. Bah'r: The Backbone of Shaayari by Irfan ‘Abid’
4. Ilm-e-Arooz: Rekhta Foundation tutorials  by Bhatnagar Shadab
5. A Desertful of Roses: Frances W. Pritchett’s site on Ghalib’s ghazals
6. A Garden of Kashmir: Frances W. Pritchett’s site on Mir’s ghazals

Sridevi: A Fan’s Tribute

I have admired many actresses, appreciated many career choices, and applauded many performances. But when it comes to unabashed adoration, there’s been only Sridevi. Ever since shooting stills of a whip-wielding lass standing in an off-shoulder black dress on the shores of Godavari at Rajahmundry flooded the film magazines in early 1983, I joined her fandom for life. There isn’t a single Hindi film of hers (barring probably a few dubbed films that hardly got a proper release) that I haven’t watched. The quality of films (which was mostly pathetic in the first phase of her Hindi film career) didn’t matter. As long as she was in a film, I had to watch it. That I lived in a place that did not have enough theatres to run her new releases didn’t matter either. There were enough ‘video-cafes’ around playing horrendous pirated VHS prints of her latest releases.

Being a fan implies being irrational. When the film rags started playing up Jaya Prada as her rival, I started ‘hating’ Jaya Prada. When Padmalaya ditched her in Kaamyaab and came up with the publicity stunt – “She is not Sridevi, She is Radha”, I prayed hard for the film to flop. And when Tezaab became a national craze and The Illustrated Weekly ran the cover story – “Sridevi is Out, Madhuri is In”, I was livid! And conflicted! For, I couldn’t get myself to ‘dislike’ Madhuri. Sridevi remained my deity, although Madhuri too climbed up the pantheon. The walls of my hostel room were testimony to this. One wall had pictures of Madhuri, while the other – bigger, I must add – had Sridevi in all her avatars.

Those were pre-Internet, pre-TV days, so all our information came from magazines. I devoured every available film magazine just to see what Sridevi was up to, which ‘heroes’ she was working with, how her films were doing, etc., etc. Every flop of hers dejected me, while I was elated with every hit.

My film memories of the 1980s are all about Sridevi – Getting scandalized by a top rated ‘winking’ song on Binaca Geet mala, while still waiting desperately to watch the film; getting dejected for not getting a ticket for Justice Chowdhury and making up for it immediately by watching it at a video café bang opposite the theatre that turned us away; escaping ragging at college by going off almost every single day to watch Mr. India in a dilapidated Varanasi theatre; watching Chandni first day, first show, first row, first seat, even if that meant seeing Sridevi miraculously get slimmer as she walked from my end of the 70 mm screen to the other….

Sridevi’s stardom came at a time when the music in Hindi films was at its worst, but her sheer presence was enough for me to watch her perform to those songs. Rarely did I turn my attention to the hero sharing the frame with her. To the Sridevi fan in me, she is as much about those inane (at time vulgar) Jeetendra-Bappi Lahiri-Indeevar-Asha-Kishore songs choreographed like a PT routine than she is about one-woman variety show like Hawa Hawai or chiffon clad Yash Chopra heroine prancing around in foreign locales.

Here is a sampling of some of her songs, which are neither her best (or even good) nor the most popular, but do provide a glimpse into the kind of films, songs, actors and singers that define her Hindi film career.

• Saath Mere Aaogi–Justice Chowdhuri (1983)–Asha Bhosle & Kishore Kumar–Bappi Lahiri–Indeevar

• Oye Oye Oye Garmi Hai–Maqsad (1984)–S. Janaki & Kishore Kumar–Bappi Lahiri–Indeevar

• Superfast Love–Bhagwan Dada (1986)–Anuradha Paudwal & Kishore Kumar–Rajesh Roshan–Farouq Kaiser

• Jeevan Jyot Jale–Aulad (1987)–Kavita Krishnamurthy–Laxmikant Pyarelal–S. H Bihari

• Tere Aaane Se–Sherni (1987)–Sadhana Sargam–Kalyanji Anandji–Indeevar

• Jab Pyar Kiya–Watan Ke Rakhwale (1987)–Anuradha Paudwal & Mod. Aziz–Laxmikant Pyarelal–Majrooh Sultanpuri

• Dhola Dhol Manjira–Joshilay (1989)–Asha Bhosle & Suresh Wadkar–Rahul Dev Burman–Javed Akhtar

• Are You Ready–Naakabandi (1990)–Usha Uthup–Bappi Lahiri -Anjaan

• Yaad Nahin Bhool Gaya–Lamhe (1991)–Lata Mangeshkar & Suresh Wadkar–Shiv-Hari–Anand Bakshi

• Mere Watan Mein–Khuda Gawah (1992)–Alka Yagnik & Suresh Wadkar–Laxmikant Pyarelal–Anand Bakshi

• Jaanewale Zara Ruk Ja–Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja (1993)–Laxmikant Pyarelal–Javed Akhtar

• I am Very Very Sorry–Chaand Ka Tukda (1994)–Lata Mangeshkar & Vipin Sachdeva–Mahesh Kishor–Sawan Kumar Tak

• Dhak Dhak Dil Dhadak Raha Hai–Laadla (1994)–Poornima–Anand Milind–Sameer

• Mujhe Ek Pal Chain Na Aaye–Judaai (1997)–Jaspinder Narula & Hariharan–Nadeem Shravan–Sameer