Index of Literary Terms
Remember that the page references are keyed to the Urdu text; the whole Urdu text has been indexed, including parts not translated and selections of poetry. No proper names are listed. The terms listed are those important to the Perso-Arabic literary tradition generally, as well as terms that occur especially frequently or otherwise seem important to Āzād himself. All names of genres have been included. Where technical terms have been replaced by consistent translations, the terms are cross-referenced and the first appearance of the English term is marked in the translation itself with an asterisk. In the case of a few especially common terms, only the more important page references are shown; page references to these terms are prefaced with 'Notably' to indicate this fact. A plus sign identifies a reference of particular interest. Parentheses show related references in which the term itself does not occur.
ahl-e zabān (*native speaker). #60, +66, 75, 135, +142, 265, 313, +345, 377, +476, +505#. Usually refers to educated, literate persons.
alliteration. A consistent translation of *tajnīs.
anecdote. In literary contexts, used to translate both *lat̤īfah and *naql.
anmil (*misjoinder). #16, 67, 69-70#. An utterance that yokes together seemingly disparate terms within a single verse; pp. #69-70# provide an example.
antara. #474#. The opening line of a *ṭhumrī.
anthology. A consistent translation of *tażkirah.
appreciation, appreciator. In literary contexts, consistent translations of *qadrdānī and *qadrdān.
ʿarūẓ (*prosody). #+72, 84, +266, 313, 314#. The technical Arabic rules of prosody, as modified first for Persian and then for Urdu. For full discussion see Pybus, A Textbook, Part I; Fārūqī (ed.), Dars-e balāġhat, pp. 86-118.
authority. In literary contexts, a consistent translation of *sanad.
baḥr (*meter). #16, 17, +67, 73, +83, +145, 154, +156, 176, 199, 201, 203, +250, 251, (299), 304, 395, +439, (458), +459, 472#. Very like the English term 'meter' in its range. See *ʿarūẓ, 'prosody', for references on theory; for a practical approach to scansion see Pritchett and Khaliq, Urdu Meter.
bait (verse). #+74, 110, 245, 297, +385#. The Persian counterpart of *shiʿr.
baiṭhnā, biṭhānā (*to be fitted, to fit). #30, +146, (150), (187), (270), (297), (298), 388, +390, +429, (452), +455, +456#. The process of fitting--literally, 'seating'--a word into a line with metrical and syntactic precision.
balāġhat (*rhetoric). #123, 145, 198, 266, +299, 411, 507, +522#. A literary term for the skills and devices used in persuasive language. The term can also describe the performance of an expert practitioner: i.e., the use of appropriate words precisely suited to the occasion. For a detailed discussion see Fārūqī (ed.), Dars-e balāġhat, pp. 9-17.
band (*stanza). #100, 175, 219, 235-238, 250, 366, 461, 520, +522#. The term is not applied to the ghazal, but is used for stanzas of three or more lines within longer poems.
book (kitāb). Notably: #+4, 9-12, 17, 18, 21, 22, 25, 28, 57, 67, 71, +72, +84, 244, +296, +299, 330, 348, 373, +376, 387, +405, 420, 438, 445, 498, +500, +516, 522#. Only rarely do other words occur: pustak, #9#; and jild, #16, 67, 329, 500#.
buland parvāzī, buland parvāz (*high flight, high flyer). #+123, 198, 229, 260, +325, 340, 367, 423, 425, 485, +521#. An imprecise term implying an extraordinary amount, or extravagant quality, of imagination on the poet's part; the term can be either complimentary or insulting.
chihrah. #366, 371, 518, 521#. A term used in the *marṡiyah and elsewhere for a general opening statement of theme; it includes a few broad introductory stanzas called the tamhīd (#366, 371, 518#).
'Chief of Poets'. A consistent translation of *malik ush-shuʿarā.
chief of the mushairah. Two terms for such a presiding and honored person appear: mīr-e mushāʿirah #(252), +253, 380, 382#; and mīr-e majlis #465#
chīstān (*enigma). #257, 265#. Almost indistinguishable in practice from *muʿammā.
chronogram. A consistent translation of *tārīḳh.
coincidence. In literary contexts, a consistent translation of *tavārud.
Complete Works. A consistent translation of *kulliyāt. It is capitalized to suggest the actual physical book(s) to which it refers.
concluding verse. A consistent translation of *maqt̤aʿ.
consistency of style. A consistent translation of *vaz̤ʿadārī.
construction. In literary contexts, a consistent translation of *tarkīb.
correction. In literary contexts, a consistent translation of *iṣlāh.
cupbearer poem. A consistent translation of *sāqī nāmah.
dāstān (romance). As a literary genre: #17, +53, 244, +257, +519#. A prose or verse narrative genre centering on the deeds of one or more chivalrous heroes; it is generally concerned with 'war, romance, magic, and trickery'.
daur (*era). #2, 4, 76, +77, 81, 96, 105, 106, 122, +154, 177, 221, (+326), 404, 405, +526#. The main term used by Āzād in chapter headings, to mark the five major historical periods into which he divides Urdu literature.
ḍhakosalā. #70#. This term normally means 'deception, fraud'; it is virtually unknown as a literary term, but is here used apparently to describe a kind of riddle attributed to Ḳhusrau.
dīvān (*volume). #3, 61, 75, 82, +83-87, 88n, +109-113, 116, 117n, 119, +130, 133, 136, 139, +145, +153, 157, 158, 160, 162, +172-174, 176, 177, 184n, 188, 197, 198, 208n, 212, +221, 226n, 228, 230, +231, 245, 249n, 257, 258, 261, 265, 269, 296, +297, 329, 339, 341, 347, 355n, 357, 358, +365, 369, 374, +375, 382, 388, +391, 410, 429, 430, +445, 450, 451, 461, +472, 488n, 493, +495n, +497, 500#. A collection of (some of) a single poet's work, normally compiled by the poet himself. Within a dīvān poems are grouped into genres; ghazals are then alphabetized by the last letter of the *radīf. Within each last-letter grouping, however, they are not further alphabetized but are arranged however the poet wishes.
do ġhazalah (double ghazal). #236, 460#. A set of two ghazals that are in the same rhyme-scheme (*zamīn) and meter (*baḥr) and are thus formally indistinguishable.
dohrā (=dohā) (couplet). #16-19, +67, 73, 74, +76, +82, 83, +154, 473#. Also sometimes duhrā. A form of rhymed couplet in Braj Bhasha and other medieval Indic languages.
do suḳhanah (quibble). #16, 67, *70#. A form of riddle attributed to Ḳhusrau in which two questions are posed, after which an answer is produced that can apply to them both.
drama. A consistent translation of *nāṭak.
elegy. A consistent translation of *marṡiyah.
eloquence. A consistent translation of *faṣāḥat.
eloquent. A consistent translation of *faṣīḥ.
emotional effect. In literary contexts, a consistent translation of *tāṡīr.
encounter. A consistent translation of *maʿrikah.
enigma. A consistent translation of *chīstān.
era. A consistent translation of *daur.
exaggeration. A consistent translation of *mubāliġhah.
extended-line poem. A consistent translation of *mustazād.
faṣāḥat (*eloquence). #10, 23, +45, +57, 106, +123, 145, 150, 151, 155, 185, 198, 200, +206, 228, 242, 243, 254, 260, 261, 267, +299, +325-7, 411, 420, 449, 507, 521#. 'Eloquence' is the best English choice out of a number of bad ones. What the word really implies is something like the power to choose for every situation suitable words drawn only from the standard language, and to avoid errors and flaws. Faṣāḥat is an aspect or part of *balāġhat.
faṣīḥ (*eloquent). #31, +32, +37, 46, 56, 82, 109, 110, 127, 243, 244#. See *faṣāḥat.
fit, be fitted. In literary contexts, used for forms of *baiṭhnā.
fluency, fluent. Consistent translations of *ravānī and ravāñ.
four-fold ghazal (chau ġhazalah). #332#. See *do ġhazalah.
four-liner. A consistent translation of *murabbaʿ.
gāthā (hymn). #12#. An ancient Iranian hymn genre.
ghazal (ġhazal). Very notably: #16, 23, 27, +72, +73, 79, +83, +88, 89, +142, +145, +156, 176, +186, +188, 198, 200, +210, +229, +242, +258, 298, 336, +342, 351, 365, 389, 400, 452, 461, 519#. The most popular, protean, and ubiquitous genre of Urdu poetry. On pages #72# and #186-187#, Āzād provides his best definitions.
ġhazal banānā (*to do a ghazal). #142, 249n, 302, 381, 425, +426, 429, +430, 433, 434, +436n, 516#; to *do a marṡiyah, #516#. To perform correction (*iṣlāḥ) on a ghazal, especially for a patron.
ġhazal par ġhazal (a *ghazal on a ghazal). #(110), 176, +213, 230, 315, 375, 403n, 424, +454, +461, 477n, 495n#; verses on a *verse: #213#. To compose a ghazal 'on' a ghazal is to take an earlier ghazal's rhyming elements (*zamīn) and meter (*baḥr) and set of particular rhyming words, and often some of its themes (*maẓmūn) too, and use them in a new ghazal of one's own. It is an act of both homage and challenge.
'ghazalness'. Two terms appear: taġhazzul #+156#; ġhazaliyat #198, +400#. Critics--especially modern ones--have tried to make this into a technical term, but it has always been too vague to be meaningful.
gīt (*song). #6, 12, 19, +68-71, 73, +87, 454#. A broad Indic generic term for a short lyric poem meant to be set to music.
grammar. See *naḥv.
ground. A consistent translation of *zamīn.
guest of honor. A consistent translation of *ṣadr nashīn.
ḥajv (*satire). #+138, 142, +145, +146, 148, 152, 155, 160-163, 165, +173, +174, 176, 198, 226n, 228, +231-233, 244, 253, 257, 260, 265, 270, 271, 272n, 279, 297, +301-307, 310, 312, 313, 339, 347, +381, 432, 440n, 454#. A poem of (at least purportedly) humorous ridicule or insult. Some works in this genre are light and witty, others quite genuinely hostile; some are scatological or obscene (#302#). The genre has no prescribed formal structure (#145#), but may be in *qaṣīdah form.
ḥamd (praise). #257, 298, 422, 453, 499#. A poem in praise of God.
high flight, high flyer. In literary contexts, consistent translations of *buland parvāzī, buland parvāz.
ḥikāyat (*tale). #67, 145, 207, 263, 265, 335, 380, 493, 526#.
holī. #454#. A song sung during the Holī celebrations.
hunting poem. A consistent translation of *shikār nāmah.
idiom. In literary contexts, a consistent translation of *muḥāvrah.
īhām (*punning). #+76, +82, +91, +135, 141, 154, 202n#. Derived from the root vahm, the term literally means 'to put into deception'. It refers to special kinds of punning: for example, a poet may use a word with two meanings, one of which is well-known and one obscure, and the obscure meaning is the one the poet intends. The term is also used for other kinds of wordplay that rely on double meanings. See Fārūqī (ed.), Dars-e balāġhat, pp. 44-46.
ījād (*invention, invent). #24, 28, +37, +62, 67-69, +72-73, +79, 84, +87, 91, 105, +131, 154, +197, 219, +221, 223, 228, 249, +259, 268, 271, +325, 340, +366, +367, 411n, 414n, 420, 454, +461, 462, 472, 518, 520, +521#. Used for a poet's creative and innovative power.
imaginativeness, imaginative. Consistent translationa of *ḳhiyāl bandī and ḳhiyāl band.
implication. In literary contexts, a consistent translation of *kināyah.
incorporation. A consistent translation of *taẓmīn.
inshā, inshā pardāzī (*literature, literary style). #7, 23, 27, 45, 46, +49, +50, +54-58#, +60, 77, +79, 84, +86, 107, +144, 149, 151, +158, 186, +268, 328, 365, 435, 459, 501#; inshā pardāz (literary stylist): #392#
intiḳhāb (*selection). #+88, 109, 136, 156, 157, 176, 250, +497#. A sampler or selection of poetry (or prose), often in abridged form.
invention, invent. A consistent translation of *ījād.
iṣlāḥ (*correction). #+1, +2, 73, 84, (91), 96, (101), 105, 106, +111, +115, 118, 124, 128, 131, 137, +157, 158, 160, 175, 178, 207, 242, +244, 248, 254, +331, +332, 336, 351, 364, 365, 367n, 388, +393, +396, 399, 408, +422-427, 429, 458, +462, 465n, +471, 472, 484, 516, +519, 523, +526#; in more general contexts, the word is almost always translated as 'reform': #+4, +153, 154#; applied to music: #178#. In poetry, the process of pointing out technical errors or weakness in a line or verse, and/or suggesting specific improvements in word choice or arrangement.
istiʿārah (*metaphor). #26, 27, +49-51, +54, +56-58, +77, +79, +82, 122, 150, 155, +187, 188, 244, 268, +375, +376, +392, 413, 455, 458, 523, 528# A traditional Perso-Arabic poetic term for which 'metaphor' is a general translation. For detailed discussion see Pybus, A Textbook, pp. 9-18; Fārūqī (ed.), Dars-e balāġhat, pp. 30-35.
iẓāfat. #+31, +57, 127, 187, +268, 379, 414, 457#. A Persian and Urdu grammatical construction that connects two words--the first usually a noun, the second either a noun or an adjective--by means of a small linking vowel. It generally acts as a form of possessive.
join a line. A consistent translation of *miṣraʿ lagānā.
kaifiyat (*mood). #2, +65, 82, 86, 106, +113, (154), +160, +200, +211, (229), +243, 278, 279, 284, 436, 449, 493, +494n#. A term for the response evoked by a certain kind of verse: an ineffable, mysterious, melancholy, romantic mood in the poem that pervades the reader or hearer.
kalām (poetry, poem; speech). Most notably: #+78, +82, +91, +103, +142, +151, 153, +160, 221, 230, +392#; 'speech': #37, 44, 58, 59, 65#.
ḳhiyāl bandī, ḳhiyāl band (*imaginativeness, imaginative). #+325, +342-344, +376, 456# A term used, either admiringly or disparagingly, for a tendency to carry *maẓmūn āfirīnī to extremes.
kināyah (*implication). #244, 304, 517#. The process of metaphorical implication. For discussion see Pybus, A Textbook, pp. 119-121; Fārūqī (ed.), Dars-e balāġhat, pp. 36-38.
kulliyāt (*Complete Works). #22, 109, 110, +144, 146, +153, 194, 233, 257, 296, 302, 391, 248, 270, 302, 353, +382, 391#. The whole body of a poet's work, preferably as published in a single coherent whole; this may include a number of *dīvāns.
lover's complaint. A consistent translation of *vāsoḳht.
lat̤īfah (anecdote). #70, 88, 117, +119, +132, +133, 145, 156, 161-164, 175, 178-180, +188, +189, 225, +227, 231, 233, 248, 265, 274-282, 334, 348-350, 354, 355, 382, 383, +395, 397-400, 411, 432, 433, 435, 444, 445, 463n, 491, 505-509, 518#; translated as 'jest': #164, 275, 276#. See also *naql; the two terms are sometimes applied to the same story: #188, 189#.
line. In references to verse, a consistent translation of *miṣraʿ.
literature, literary style. A consistent translation of *inshā or inshā pardāzī.
malik ush-shuʿarā (*'Chief of Poets'). #10, +142, 147n, 337, 338, 420, +440, +503#. An honorific title of literary supremacy bestowed by a ruler; only one poet at a time may hold this title.
manāqib (religious praise-poems). #110, 394#; sing. manqibat. Poems in praise of some religious figure other than the Prophet.
maʿnī (*meaning). #229, 244, 251, +340-344, +376, +377, 401, +414, 451, +469n, +494, (+497), +522, 523#.
maʿnī āfirīnī, maʿnī āfirīn (*meaning-creation, meaning-creator). #+77, +414, 485, +495, +522#. The multiplication and enrichment of poetic meaning; the art of creating a verse that will elicit two or more different interpretations, and/or will be surrounded by a penumbra of implication (*kināyah).
manipulation. A consistent translation of *taṣarruf.
maqt̤aʿ (*concluding verse). #+72, 206, 208, 226, +249, 259n, 267, 300, +301, 303, 309, 311, 314, 367, 370, 384n, 430, 469, 481, 495n, 503, 504, 524#. Literally, 'point of cutting off'. A verse that both includes the poet's pen name and occupies the last (or sometimes next-to-last) position in a poem.
maʿrikah (*encounter). #2, 65, 82, 87, 138n, +249, 250, +252n, 260, +272n, 301, 302, 309, 313, 316, 331, 339, 352, 369, +375, 380, +389, +390, 395, +423, 436, +437, 440, 451, +459-461, 474, +505, 516, +517# An agonistic encounter or conflict. The term is sometimes used for actual battles (#65, 87, 252n#); but in the present work it generally refers to competitive encounters between rival poets, usually but not always involving mushairahs.
marṡiyah (*elegy). #74, +78, 110, +142, +148, +149, 174, 178, 198, 200, 276, 346, 358, +365-371, 449, 454, +515-523, 526#; marṡiyat (elegy-ness): #367, 370, +523#. A lament written to express grief over someone's death. Urdu marṡiyahs mourn either the death of Hazrat Ḥusain at Karbala or some other event of death or destruction.
mashq (*practice). Notably: #+111, +112, 119, +142, +145, 174n, +249, 297, +299, +300, +331, +344, 348, 373, +422, 436#; also mashshāq, 'practiced': #75n, 79, 91, 101, 112, 158, 163, 208, 249, 392# The process of acquiring the technical skills needed to compose poetry; to be called 'practiced' is a real compliment.
masnavi (maṡnavī). #22, 73, +83, 109, 110, 112, +145, 148, 155, 161, 176, 177, 188, 198-201, 207, +242-244, 245, 257, 265, 300, 305, 309, 339-341, 355n, 415, +439, 453, 493, 505#. A narrative or reflective poem, often longish but of no fixed length, often romantic but with no prescribed subject matter. Its two-line verses normally rhyme AA, BB, CC, etc. A definition: #243#.
mat̤laʿ (*opening verse). #+72, 88, 89, 111-113, +145, 147n, 163-165, 188, 189, 224, 226n, 230, 231, +233, 234, 250, 255, 262, 274, 275, 280, 303, 311, 314, 327, 336, 344, +351-356, 364, 370, 380, 391, 397, 409, 422, 423, +425, 428, 429, +431, 432, 437, 439, 447, 448, +452, 456-462, 467, 469n, 474, 495n, 524#. Literally, 'place of rising'. In a ghazal, an introductory pattern-setting verse that has the rhyme (and refrain, if any) at the end of each of its two lines.
mauzūñ (*metrical). #132, 142, 165, 208, 224, 228, 251, 322, 323, 393, 420, 422, 441#; mauzūniyat (metricality): #+65, 187, 295#
maẓmūn (*theme). Notably: #49, 52n, 56, 59, +64, +65, +72, 76, +77, +79, +80, 82-84, 86, +96, 97, 101, 106, 111, 123, +135, 145, +152, 154-156, +159, 180, 187-+189, 197, +198, 202, 203, +212, 213, 241, 244, 260, 261, +267, +270, 301, 322, +325, 341, 346, +349, 367, 371, +375, +376, 380, 393, +395, +400, +429, 431, 439, 441, 442, 455, +456, +463, 494n, 504, 517, 518, +520-522, +527, +528#; maẓmun afrini (theme-creation): #367#. A maẓmūn is, roughly, a poetic theme or proposition. The process of maẓmūn āfirīnī creates the (implicit or explicit) assertions of metaphoric identity from which the ghazal universe develops.
maẓmūn laṛnā (for a theme to coincide). #463#. Same as *tavārud.
meaning. In literary contexts, a consistent translation of *maʿnī.
meaning-creation, meaning-creator. Consistent translations of *maʿnī āfirīnī and maʿnī āfirīn.
metaphor. A consistent translation of *istiʿārah.
meter. A consistent translation of *baḥr.
metrical, metricality. In literary contexts, consistent translations of *mauzūñ, *mauzūniyat.
misjoinder. A consistent translation of *anmil.
miṣraʿ (*line). Notably: #16, 22, 31, +88, 210, 230, +233, 293, +337, 372#. A single hemistich or line of poetry.
miṣraʿ-e t̤araḥ (*pattern line). #350, +390, 464n, 469#; see also *t̤araḥ. A line specified in advance, to which all the poems recited at a given mushairah are expected to conform in meter and rhyme and refrain. The parts of the line that make up the rhyme and refrain are specified with special marks.
miṣraʿ lagānā (*join a line). #+165, 166, 197, 219, +425, 430, 461, 462, (464), 472#. A technical exercise in which one line of a verse is provided and the poet is challenged to improvise another line that will complete the verse.
mood. In literary contexts, a consistent translation of *kaifiyat.
muʿammā (*puzzle). #54, 234, 257, 411n, +412#. A verse of wordplay that contains within it cryptic anagrammatic, numerical, or other hints that must be figured out.
mubāliġhah (*exaggeration). #49, 50, +56, +59, 112, 187, +442#
muḥāvrah (*idiom). #+32, +39, 40-45, 82, 83, +91, 110, 119, 122, 126, +129, 130, 135, 144, 150, +151, 153-155, 187, 188, 190, 199, 200, 202, 203n, 204, 205, +209, 222, 228, 231, 242, +243, 258, 260, 270, +278, 296, 298, 301, +326, +332, +341, +344, 357, 367, 369, +371, 374, +375, +377, 378, 431, 451, 452, +456-458, 463n, 498, 505, 517, 521-523, +525#
mukarnī. #16, 19, 67, 69#. These deny the natural conclusion, and substitute another that surprises: no, not the beloved, a lamp!
muḳhammas (*quintain). #+83, 100, 110, 142, 145, 149, 165, 175, 188, 198, 199, 206, 228, 250, 440n, 454#. A poem in five-line stanzas, rhyming AAAAA, BBBBC, with variations; see Fārūqī (ed.), Dars-e balāġhat, p. 148.
munāṡirah. #398#. A gathering for the recitation of prose.
murabbaʿ (*four-liner). #+197, 220, 266#. A poem in four-line stanzas, rhyming AAAA, BBBC, with variations; see Fārūqī (ed.), Dars-e balāġhat, p. 148.
muraṣṣaʿ (*ornamented). #145# Verse that provides supererogatory special effects: word breaks that correspond to the metrical feet, internal rhyme, special intra-linear rhythmic patterns.
musaddas (*sestain). #+148, 366#. A poem in stanzas of six lines, usually rhyming AAAABB, CCCCDD; see Fārūqī (ed.), Dars-e balāġhat, p. 148.
muṡallaṡ (*three-liner). #+197, 219, 220, 266, +461#. A poem in three-line stanzas, rhyming AAA, BBA, CCA, with variations; see Fārūqī (ed.), Dars-e balāġhat, pp. 147-148.
mushairah (mushāʿirah). #30, 78, 81-84, 117, 123, 138n, 163, 164, 174n, +189, 190, +196, 203, 205, +208, 213, 220, 221, 229, 231, 235, 249, +250, +252-254, +258, 259, 269, 270, 273, 283, 284, 295, +300, +301, 305, 309, 325, 328, 331, +332, +350-352, 354, +358, +364, 372, 375, +380-382, +388-390, +392, +393, +398, (399), 409, +423-425, 429, +436-438, 443, +457-460, +462, +463n-465n, 469n, 470n, 480, +494n, +496, 505, 519, 526#. A gathering at which poets read their verses--which are usually, by careful prearrangement, formally identical ones--before an audience that includes fellow poets and connoisseurs.
mustazād (*extended-line poem). #145, 149, 197, 224, 235-238, 257, 259, 271n, 289-292, 316-317#. A poem with extra phrases following the end of each line; these phrases too include meter and rhyme. For examples, see #235-238, 289-292, 316-317#; for details see Fārūqī (ed.), Dars-e balāġhat, p. 146.
naḥv (*grammar). #9, 10, +31, 92, 274, 420#; in literary contexts 'rules' (qāʿide, qavāʿid) can also refer to grammar rules: #8, 9, +24, +149, 155, 257, +265, 266, +270, 274, +299, 377#
name-pun. A consistent translation of *sajaʿ.
naql (anecdote). #18, 71-72, 112-113, +134, 134-135, 137, 160-163, 165, 179, +188, +189, 232('farce'), 280, 282, 348, 350, 352, 459, 462, 469, 489#; see also *lat̤īfah.
naṡr (*prose). #19, 21-23, 38, 54, 64, +66, +67, +149, 261, 296, 302, 355n, 368, 497#
naʿt. #147n, 257, 298, 314, 315, 422, 453, 499#. A poem in praise of the Prophet.
native speakers. A consistent translation of *ahl-e zabān.
nauḥah. #366, 519#. A poem primarily for singing that laments a death or loss, particularly that of Hazrat Ḥusain or one of his companions at Karbala.
nāzuk ḳhiyālī (*'delicate thought'). #+50, 57, +58, +325, 340, +342, 343, 346, 347, 357, 364, +376, 391, 413, 494, +495, +496# nāzuk ḳhiyāl only: 50. A term used, either admiringly or disparagingly, for a tendency to carry *maẓmūn āfirīnī to extremes.
ode. A consistent translation of *qaṣīdah.
opening verse. A consistent translation of *mat̤laʿ.
ornamented. In literary contexts, a consistent translation of *muraṣṣaʿ.
ostentation. In literary contexts, a consistent translation of *takalluf.
pahelī (*riddle). #16, 19, 67, 68, 145, 149, 257, 259, 265, 412, 413, 474#. While a *muʿammā is based on wordplay, a pahelī is based on 'meaning play' and is thus a true riddle.
pamphlet. A consistent translation of *risālah.
pattern. A consistent translation of *t̤araḥ.
pattern line. A consistent translation of *miṣraʿ-e t̤araḥ.
patterned. A consistent translation of *t̤araḥī.
pen-name. A consistent translation of *taḳhalluṣ.
plagiarism. A consistent translation of *sarqah.
poet. A consistent translation of *shāʿir.
poetry, poem: shāʿirī (poetry) and naz̤m (poetry, poem) are much the most common terms and are used almost interchangeably. Most notably: #+27, +64, +66, +74, +75, +77, +78-84, +173, 248, +207, 303, +325, +331, 336, +351, (+375), (+376), 426#; see also *kalām and *shiʿr, and the rarer *suḳhan and very rare *bait [=shiʿr].
practice. A consistent translation of *mashq.
prose. A consistent translation of *naṡr.
prosody. A consistent translation of *ʿarūẓ.
punning. A consistent translation of *īhām.
pupil. A consistent translation of *shāgird.
puzzle. A consistent translation of *muʿammā.
qadrdāni (*appreciation), qadrdān (*appreciator). #19, 83n, 93, (97), (117), (119), 123, +142-144, (149), 160, 195, (198), 207, 211, 221, 226, 229, (231), (244), +248, 323, 337, (342), +364, 365, 391, (411), (+517), +527#
qāfiyah (*rhyme). #+58, +72, +83, +91, 119, 129, 146, +150, +156, +177, 187, 266, +270, (278), +306-308, 313, 314, 317, +337, 347, 366, 380, 381, 390, +452, +461, 472#. In a ghazal, the rhyming syllable at the end of the second line of each two-line verse. The qāfiyah is most usually (though not always) followed by a *radīf.
qaṣīdah (*ode). #+23, 27, 76, +79, 109, 143, +145, 152-153, +155, +156, 176, 179, 197, +198, 199, 208, 228, +229, +242, 257, +260, 261, 265, 268-269, 270, 297, +298, 306, 311-315, +338-340, 353, 355n, 358, 374, 391, 392, 396, 397, 398, 409, 415, 437, 438-442, 444, 447, 448, +450-453, 464, 465, 466n, 488n, 493, 499, 500, 506, 507#. A poem with a 'purpose' (maqṣad). The term generally refers to poems in praise of something or someone--usually a patron. But a *ḥajv too may be technically described as a qaṣīdah.
qiṣṣah. #24, +53, 104, 242, 519n#. A non-realistic genre of literary narrative that is related to *dāstān and in fact often consist of shorter forms of the same stories.
qit̤aʿh (*verse-set). #+83, 112, 145, 148n, 149, (168), +190, 194, 196, 208, 212, 252, 257, 262, 265, 274, 279, 305, 306-308, 313, 314, 339, 356, 388, 393, 396n, 397, 398, 444, 447, 468n, 481n, 493, 496, 500, 501, 504#. Literally, 'cutting, section'. Within a ghazal or qaṣīdah, a series of verses meant to be read as a connected sequence. The first verse of the qit̤aʿh is traditionally marked with the letter qāf; the last verse is not marked. Sometimes a qit̤aʿh is composed independently, as a unified poem in its own right; it is then usually given a title.
quatrain. A consistent translation of *rubāʿī.
quintain. A consistent translation of *muḳhammas.
rabt̤ (connection). #308#. The quality of internal relationship, parallelism, and self-reference within a single verse, especially between its two lines.
radīf (*refrain). #+72, +83, 85, +91, 110, 129, 145, 146, 152, 187, (+233), 313, +390, 401, 431, 436, 472#. In a ghazal, the identically repeated word or words at the end of the second line of each two-line verse, after the *qāfiyah. A radīf is extremely common but not compulsory. 'Refrain' is not an ideal English translation, but is the least bad one available.
rāg. #51, 68, 71, 178#. A musical melody within the traditional Indian system.
rāginī. #71#. A female embodiment of a *rāg.
ravānī (*fluency) #300#; ravāñ (fluent), #59, 79, 298#. The quality of euphonious, harmonious sound that makes a verse seem to 'flow' freely.
refrain. A consistent translation of *radīf.
reḳhtī. #+104, +221, 257, +259#
repeated-line poems. A consistent translation of *tarjīʿ band.
rhetoric. A consistent translation of *balāġhat.
rhyme. A consistent translation of *qāfiyah.
riddle. A consistent translation of *pahelī.
risālah (*pamphlet). #24, 88, +156, 158, 176, 358, 439n, 505#
rubāʿī (*quatrain). #+83, 109, 143, 145, 149, 160, 176, 180, 188, 197, 228, 234, 257, 262, 265, 273-275, 297, 330, 339, 368, 400, 454, 468n, 493, 494, 519-521#. A four-line poem in one or more of a group of traditionally prescribed meters, and usually rhyming AABA; for details see Fārūqī (ed.), Dars-e balāġhat, pp. 139-140.
ṣadr nashīn (guest of honor). #2, 304, 395, 526#. An important person sitting in the 'royal' seat--i.e., near the chief, but not running the mushairah.
ṣāḥib-e t̤arz. #172, 228#. A poet said to 'possess a style' of his own.
sajaʿ (*name-pun). #92, 27,9 411, 468# A line in which a name fits as a word; it often elevates the dignity of the person named.
salām. #148, 149, 358, 366, (370), 371, 454, 519-521#. A poem that usually has the formal structure of a *ġhazal, and the thematic content of a *marṡiyah.
sanad (*authority). #+62, +63, 74, 77, 78, (131), +158, 243, +270, 271, 307, 309, +342, 344, +345, +357, 359, +371, 374, 378, 390, 393, +437, 445, 491, 505, +525#. A verification of a usage: the word or *maẓmūn in question is cited in the work of respected ustads, and thus legitimized.
ṣanʿat (*verbal device). #+57, +64, 76, 106, 123, 141, 148, +154, +164, 186, 261, +268, +325, 340, 365#. A general term of broad meaning, including a whole range of stylistic and rhetorical possibilities; these are usually analyzed into devices of word (lafz̤ī) and of meaning (maʿnavī). For detailed discussion see Pybus, A Textbook, pp. 75-108; Fārūqī (ed.), Dars-e balāġhat, pp. 39-85.
sanglāḳh zamin (*stony ground). #146, 270, 273, 297, +392, 472, 477n, 494n, (451)#. An unpromising, unhelpful *zamīn that is difficult for the poet to use effectively.
sāqī nāmah (*cupbearer poem). #112, 148, 200, 453#. A poem usually in the form of a *maṡnavī, addressed by the drinker to the cupbearer or sāqī.
sarāpā. #*235-238, 366, +367, 453#. Literally, a 'head-to-foot' description, often of a beloved.
sarqah (*plagiarism). #+164, +213, 345, 346#. For a discussion see Pybus, A Textbook, p. 124-125.
satire. A consistent translation of *ḥajv.
scansion. A consistent translation of *taqt̤īʿ.
selection. In literary contexts, a consistent translation of *intiḳhāb.
sestain. A consistent translation of *musaddas.
seṭhnī. #474#. A genre of (often bawdy) wedding songs sung by women.
shāgird (*pupil). Notably: #70, +83, +88, +111-113, +158, 162, +207, +309, +310, 328, +331, +334, +336, (+337), +350, +351, +353, 355, 357, 358, 367, +370, 372, +373, +380-382, 388, 395, +396, 422, +423, 429, 437, 450-452, 462, 505, 507, +516, +517#. An apprentice who has been accepted by an ustad for training in poetic composition.
shahr āshob. #142, 199, 206#. A poem lamenting, sincerely or satirically, the ruin of a city, and often enumerating the trades and professions practiced there; 'world turned upside down' imagery is frequently used.
shāʿir (*poet). Notably: #1, 14, 17, 18, +23, 24, +27, 30, 31, 42, +50, 56, 61, +64-66, 74, 75, +78, +83, +84, 86, +88, +112, +113, +148, +153, +156, +212, 231, 243, +270, +325, 382, +392, 425, +475, +525#
shikār nāmah (*hunting poem). #257, 263-265#
shiʿr (*verse). Very notably: #+64-66, +72, 74, +76, 79, 81-84, +88, 113, +118, +136, 142, 155, +157, +158, 230, +244, +300, 382#. A distich or two-line verse, treated in the ghazal and qaṣīdah as an independent poetic unit; both lines must be in the same meter and must make a complete poetic effect of their own, without regard to the rest of the poem. The second line must end in the rhyming elements (*qāfiyah definitely, and usually *radīf too).
sihrā (epithalamion). #502-504#. The term refers to the wedding garland placed around the bridegroom's neck and literally means 'floral forehead-wreath'.
silsilah (lineage). #388, 423#. The chain of transmission from ustad to shagird, which over time becomes a line of descent that can reach far back into the past.
simile. A consistent translation of *tashbīh.
song. A consistent translation of *gīt.
soz. #365# A genre, and also a singing style, of poems of lament; related to the *marṡiyah.
stanza. A consistent translation of *band.
stony ground. A consistent translation of *sanglāḳh zamīn.
suḳhan (poetry, speech). Notably: #22, 88, 119, 154, 258, 336#
svāñg (folk-opera, show). #49, 233, 310#; the latter two instances are metaphorical.
taḥt ul-lafz̤. #366#. Literally, 'subordinate to the word'; a recitation style for poetry that is based on speaking rather than singing.
tajnīs (*alliteration). #97n, 154#; for a detailed classification of types see Pybus, A Textbook, pp. 93-97, or Fārūqī (ed.), Dars-e balāġhat, pp. 59-62.
takalluf (*ostentation). #+82, 106, 122, +123, 186#; betakalluf (unostentatious): #25, 48, +82, 106, 109#. Verbal elaborateness or showiness.
taḳhalluṣ (*pen-name). Notably: #3, +72, 95, +101, +162, (168), +173, +185, 186, +189, 195, +202n, +208, 247n, 319, 328, 364, 454, +465n, 469n, +481, +519#. A literary pseudonym adopted by a poet; it is often a meaningful word, and may or may not have some connection with the poet's real name. It is usually incorporated into the last verse of each poem, as a kind of signature meant to be apparent in oral performance.
tale. A consistent translation of *ḥikāyat.
ṭappā. #454, 474# A Punjabi song genre.
taqt̤īʿ (*scansion). #179, 209, +250, +266, (345)#. The process of analyzing the syllabic structure of a meter; see *baḥr.
t̤araḥ (*pattern). #187, 196, +203, (230), (231), 235, 250, 258, 259, 300, 303, 305, 307, 350, 380, 390, 392, 423, 430, 436, 437, 457, 460, 461, 475, 480, 519#. See also *t̤araḥī, *miṣraʿ-e t̤araḥ. A prescribed meter-rhyme combination, or *zamīn plus meter, in which a ghazal is to be composed. Any two verses in the same t̤araḥ will be formally identical.
t̤araḥī (*patterned). #110, 352# See also *t̤araḥ. The classical kind of *mushāʿirah, in which all the verses recited are formally identical.
tarannum. #409#. A recitation style for poetry that is more musical than *taḥt ul-lafz̤; it is somewhere between chanting and singing.
tārīḳh (*chronogram). #107, 137, 138, 144n, 145, 149, +175, 180, 197, 198, 228, 245, 256, 257, 264, 273, 298, (328), 339, +340, 351-354, 358, 374, 382, 391, 396n, 398, +411-413, 431, 440, 442, 454, 460, 467, 468, 485, 493, 510#. A verse, line, or phrase composed in such a way that the numerical value of its letters, according to the traditional Arabic alphanumeric abjad system, adds up to the (A.H.) date of some event to be commemorated.
tarjīʿ band (*repeated-line poem). #145, 149, 176, 198, 199, +232, 233, 394, 440n# A stanzaic verse form that uses a single meter but varying rhyming elements. It has the following form: a *mat̤laʿ and a certain number of *shiʿrs in rhyme-scheme A, followed by a single mat̤laʿ in rhyme-scheme B, followed by a mat̤laʿ and the same number of shiʿrs in rhyme-scheme C, followed by the exact same single mat̤laʿ in rhyme-scheme C, and so on. See Pybus, A Textbook, pp. 63-64, and Fārūqī (ed.), Dars-e balāġhat, p. 146.
tarkīb (*construction). Notably: #27, 57, 124, 150, 151, 155, 187, 207, 243, 258, +260, 298, 340, 356, +375, 377, 392, +414, 451, +456, 495#. A general term for a phrase or a linked set of words; in Persian contexts, it refers to *iẓāfat.
tarkīb band. #346#. A stanzaic verse form that uses a single meter but varying rhyming elements. It has the following form: a *mat̤laʿ and a certain number of *shiʿrs in rhyme-scheme A, followed by a single mat̤laʿ in rhyme-scheme B, followed by a mat̤laʿ and the same number of shiʿrs in rhyme-scheme C, followed by a single mat̤laʿ in rhyme-scheme D, and so on. It differs from a *tarjīʿ band only in that the single mat̤laʿs that conclude the stanzas are different; they may or may not rhyme.
taṣarruf (*manipulation). #151, 152#. The way in which a poet who has full command over language may choose to deviate from standard speech.
tashbīh (*simile). #26, 27, +46, 47, +49-51, 53, +54, +57, +58, +79, +82, 122, 150, 155, +158, 187, 244, 268, 340, 356, +375, +376, +392, 400, 413, 455, 501, 523, 528#. For discussion of its range and types see Pybus, A Textbook, pp. 109-113, and Fārūqī (ed.), Dars-e balāġhat, pp. 19-29.
tashdīd. #308, 309, 345, 378#. The 'doubler' diacritic that turns a single letter into two of the same kind, affecting pronunciation and scansion.
tāṡīr (*emotional effect). #+51, 54, 60, 84, +102, +122, +123, 171, 178, +202, +203, 219, 259, 269, 290, 298, 302, 320, +340, 341, 365, 375, 443, 445, +455, +526#; also aṡar #123#. A favorite term of Āzād's; it is not part of traditional poetics.
tavārud (*coincidence). #164, 179, 211, +212, 345, 423, 462#. The unintentional duplication of another's verse in one's own poem; see also *maẓmūn laṛnā.
tażkirah (*anthology). #+3, +4, 73, 83n, 84n, +86, +88, 101, 107, 109, 113, 116n, 118, 131, 138, 141n, 144, 145, 155, 157, 171, 172n, 175, 185, 187, +194, 198, +201, 206, 225, 230n, 240, +242, 245, 296-299, 332, +408, 451, 460, 474, 481, +499, 515n#. A traditional genre of literary anthology in Persian and Urdu. A tazkirah consists of brief selections from the work of various poets, usually with prefatory comments about each poet.
taẓmīn (*incorporation). #152, 160, 179, 252, 255, 262, 297, 447, 522# The deliberate inclusion of one or more lines by some other poet in one's own verses.
theme. In literary contexts, a consistent translation of *maẓmūn.
three-liner. A consistent translation of *muṡallaṣ.
ṭīp. #372, 524# The last two lines of a stanza of a *musaddas. Each stanza rhymes AAAABB, and the ṭīp is the 'BB' part.
to be seated, to seat. In literary contexts, consistent translations of *baiṭhnā and *biṭhānā.
to do a ghazal. See *ġhazal banānā.
unostentatious (be-takalluf). See *takalluf. #82#
ustad (ustād). Notably: #30, 71, 82, 83, 96, +107, +111-113, +124, 142, +158, 162, +248, 296, 297, +298, +326, (331), +342, +351-354, 357, 372, +373, +380, +381, 388, +390, (+396), +423-426, 429, +436, +438, 459, 462, +503, +516, +517, 519#. A recognized master-poet, one who has completed his apprenticeship and now accepts and trains his own *shāgirds.
vāsoḳht (*lover's complaint). #+87, 145, 149, 198, +199, 228, 367#. A lyric genre, usually but not always in *musaddas form, in which the lover expresses bitterness and quarrels with the beloved, after which they are reconciled. See Fārūqī (ed.), Dars-e balāġhat, pp. 146-147.
vaz̤ʿadārī (*consistency of style). #81, +109, (134), +143, +185, +195, (+394), 405, 408#; vaz̤ʿa as style: #+109, 134, 173, 174, +394, 405, 408, 524#. To form and maintain one's own style; this is considered to be admirable not only literarily but also in more general ways.
verbal device. In literary contexts, a consistent translation of *ṣanʿat.
verse. Normally a translation of *shiʿr; but see also the rarer *bait.
verse-set. A consistent translation of *qit̤aʿh.
volume. A consistent translation of *dīvān.
write 'on' (to write a ghazal 'on' a ghazal). A consistent translation of *ġhazal par ġhazal likhnā).
zamīn (*ground). #146, 208n, 298, 309, 371, +392, 423, 432, 452, 459, 462, 472, +475, 494n#. Often used punningly: #135, 138, 154#. See also *sanglāḳh zamīn. The rhyming elements of a ghazal: *qāfiyah plus *radīf (if any). Unlike *t̤araḥ, the zamīn does not include a specification of meter.